What a week! Last Saturday we officially moved, and after many weeks of anticipation and communicating with realtors, inspectors, contractors, and movers, we spent our first week in our new home. 

Mark and I have actually been moving for a couple of weeks, but the bulk of the move—the big furniture and daily essentials—happened this past Saturday (which was also the hubby’s birthday).

Needless to say, we’re exhausted. My Fitbit has never seen so many steps in its life, I have no idea where half of my belongings are, and my brain feels like it did after final exams in college—it’s fried!

But even with my subpar brain functioning, I was able to reflect on the move—the planning, the stress, the humorous moments, etc.—and some of the lessons it taught me.

6 Lessons Learned from Moving

1. Often the universe knows better than we do 

I mentioned before that our new home is nothing like the “dream home” I’ve always envisioned. To me, dream home was always = refurbished circa 1900-1930 cottage in Midtown, oak trees galore, little city streets where neighbors flock to block parties, and intricate architectural details like built-ins, transoms throughout, original wood floors, large front porches, glass doorknobs, and giant windows.

This home, however = 1970s ranch/rambler style, smaller and fewer windows (but the floor-to-ceiling ones are great!), open kitchen and living area, a very suburban feel, no giant front porch but a fantastic enclosed sunroom (once we pull up that nasty outdoor carpet), no historical features but some great architectural details like wood beams and a brick fireplace, and tons of space (with a giant yard for Clark Griswold—I mean Mark—to decorate at Christmas), and, yes, gorgeous trees that give the whole neighborhood character and class.

I always think I want one thing, but usually I’m surprised by something completely different. Is the house perfect? No, but I’m excited the universe showed us this opportunity.

2. Strategy is usually more important than brute strength

The last time we moved (from our apartment to the old house), our movers were large, muscular men. It made sense. This time, one of the movers was a smaller guy. He, however, knew how to strategize. He obviously had enough muscle to lift heavy furniture, as did the other guy, but his literal “strength” was his brain. Life often favors strategy over raw talent/strength/skill/etc. The person who troubleshoots, looks at a situation from all angles, or works really hard to reach a goal is usually the one who comes out on top. So don’t be discouraged if you’re not a natural—use the strategies that work for you!

3. Children and pets are resilient

I was so worried that Bazooka and Iggy would be full of anxiety when the movers came and once they were settled into their new surroundings. While there was definitely a lot of fear, confusion, and irritability, overall, they did great. Both are resilient and seem to already understand that “home” is where your family is.

4. Rain doesn’t have to dampen the mood

After I stocked up on some cleaning supplies Friday morning, I saw a rainbow. It rained off and on both Friday and Saturday, but nothing so terrible that we had to stop or reschedule. Sure, we had to be careful not to get mattresses and electronics wet, but the rain? I think it actually made the day more pleasant because it wasn’t so bright and hot. Moral of the story? Don’t get frustrated when it rains.

5. Sometimes the best thing we can do is ask for help

Mark and I both wanted to do as much of the work as we could, and we did. However, it was absolutely necessary to enlist our families for help as well as professional movers. Could we have done it alone? Sure, but it would have been a much slower and more painful process. It would have made the experience even more stressful. While it’s important to do some things on our own, it’s also important to recognize when we are better off getting help.

6. “Doors” are all around us

There are so many doors in this house! On the one hand, I like it—we can shut off the carpeted areas from the dogs and separate the living area from the bedrooms when we have visitors—but on the other hand, it’s kind of annoying because we’re constantly opening and shutting doors. 

Metaphorically, it’s a good reminder that none of our lives has a shortage of doors. We may choose a “wrong” one that leads us off course, but there will always be another door to open and lead us back. If we pass up a door, we may have missed an opportunity, but we will surely be presented with different—perhaps, better—ones later on. Just keep your eyes open for those doors.

Moving is stressful, but it’s also a new opportunity. I’m trying to embrace the challenges and the process rather than fret over getting everything into place right away, both with the house and with life in general.

6 life lessons learned from moving into a new home Share on X

So tell me…

• What would your “dream home” look like?
• What is the most stressful part about moving for you?