1 Month in MA: 10 Things I've Learned from "The Big Move"

As of today, we've lived on Cape Cod for exactly 1 month. 

The past 30 days have gone by in a flash, but it also kind of feels like we've been here forever. My life in DC/VA feels so recent--so close, so normal, so real (!)--and yet, it also feels extremely far away. Life is funny like that, isn't it?

Anyways, in honor of our 1-month Cape-iversary, I thought I'd share 10 things that I've learned from this BIG move:

1. You simply must pay movers to load up your moving van. I don't care how you get the van to your final destination or how you unpack it, but movers MUST pack it up. It's worth every single penny and will save you hours of arguments, energy, and heartache. Trust me on this.
2. Patience, patience, patience. I got super freaked out on about Day 5 of our new life, because I didn't already have a bunch of new teaching jobs, friends, students, and appointments in my calendar. Then I remembered that it had only been 5 days, and I calmed down a bit. Every time I start to freak out about how "behind" I am, I remind myself how long {short} it's been. This helps. 
3. Yard sales, thrift stores, and antique shops are your BFFs. This is how you fill an entire house when you move from a tiny apartment. Oh, and for a little while, completely empty rooms are okay. 
4. When you move away from a city, you learn what it's like to REALLY sleep at night. It's dark, quiet, and cold, and the stars are visible in the sky. There are no sirens, no buses, no rowdy neighbors, no crazy people yelling on the sidewalk. It's crazy and it's perfect sleeping weather.
5. Two bathrooms = total marital peace + bliss. 
6. Developing a routine is more important than ever. Big changes are hard, but establishing a daily routine and giving yourself some structure in your new environment can really help. Waking up at the same time every day and going to sleep at the same time every night has really helped to ease the transition for us! 
7. There is an entire world outside of our major cities--and this world is very different. It doesn't seem to be as concerned with speed, with response time, with social media, with technology. The people in this world are different, too. They're older, they move slower, and many of them don't dress as nicely as city-dwellers do, but they sure seem fulfilled and happy. It's very interesting...
8. Never underestimate the power of a fireplace. Life-changing. 
9. We create too much trash. Taking your trash and recycling to the dump on a weekly basis is kind of the worst, but it definitely makes you realize how much waste you create. Although I haven't figured out how to do it yet (compost pile?), I really want to reduce the amount of trash that we take to the dump each week. It's scary! {However, I must admit that I miss just dropping our trash down a chute and forgetting about it forever!} 
10. So much of the energy that you get from living in a city is created by the artificial lighting. When you don't have bright street lights, florescent lighting in the halls of your building, lit restaurant and store signs, and car headlights everywhere, you start to realize how much darker it gets at night. On the Cape, it get's dark at 4:30 the winter (don't get me started), and when this happens, you can feel your body's natural rhythms much more acutely. It's been very eye-opening.

Similarly, and more importantly, I think the greatest lesson that this move has taught me/reminded me--from watching Ben's transformation as he switched jobs--is that you should NEVER stay in a job or work situation that makes you miserable or isn't fulfilling. This doesn't mean you should just quit if you aren't happy, but it does mean that you can make a change, even if it is a scary or difficult one. 

As I've already mentioned, Ben, is SO much happier in his new job, and when he looks back at his last job now, he can't believe he didn't make this change sooner. Learn from his mistake (and his triumph) and if you aren't happy, start taking steps towards a better life situation...

Have you recently made a major move or shift in your life? If so, what did you learn from it? Feel free to post to comments ;) 

I'll keep you posted on other lessons learned as we continue to settle-in!