The Slow Burn

We are still in the process of moving....

We had planned to move ‘completely’ in 2025. Then we had to backpedal on that.

Let me give you the backstory. In 2020, amid the pandemic shutdowns, we purchased lake property in a nearby state. A year or so later, we contracted and built a dock on said property. Another year or so later, we cleared ground and built our retirement home. We were extremely fortunate to be able to purchase and furnish the house with new, or at least new-to-us, furniture and furnishings. Thusly, for over a year we have had our home of 30+ years in Georgia and a brand new home in South Carolina. We could travel easily between the houses, as both were rigged out with most of the things we needed, with only a few inconveniences that we learned to deal with. We pronounced that in 2025, with Rob’s partial retirement, we would move completely to the new lake house in SC, and sell our Georgia house.

But, that didn’t happen in 2025. I won’t bore you with the whys and why nots, other than to describe them as LIFE. LIFE, which you know, often gets in the way.  Our 2-residence arrangement dragged on longer than expected, and we felt the pinch financially.

Early 2026, we decided that we needed to push hard to clean out, sell our house, get out of Georgia, and get into our new life on the lake in South Carolina, no matter what. ALL IN on moving, for real. COMPLETE focus on the task at hand. Except, that is, for the distractions that inevitably come up.

Distractions, for instance, like the big trip we have planned for the end of March. A celebration trip to commemorate our 40^th wedding anniversary and Rob’s almost retirement and our transition into a new, more relaxed, lifestyle.  Where will we be going? Let’s keep that under wraps for now—I’ll let you know soon enough. But, for the purposes of this article, I will tell you that this trip, which has been on the books for many months-- deposits paid, plans organized-- falls smack-dab in the middle of our push to finish cleaning out our Georgia house, complete repairs & upgrades, put the house on the market, and move the last personal items and trappings to our new house. Timing couldn’t be worse. But, we are taking it in stride. Sort of.

We are still living in Georgia now, before the trip, but will be moving to South Carolina when we get home from the trip. For real, for real, this time.

I am over-analyzing decisions. I am over-thinking. I am fretting. For instance, we decided to get our South Carolina driver’s licenses this week. Then, I worried that, while I could certainly receive mail at both locations, the discrepancy in addresses between various documents might create red flags as I prepared to travel internationally. Maybe not, I don’t know. Yesterday, as I considered purchasing Travel Insurance (to cover unexpected medical expenses or cancelations or delays, should they occur on our trip), I paused on the form requesting my home state and address. Should I put my Georgia address because it will be my main abode right now and during the trip? Or should I put my South Carolina address because I am headed there, and future claim issues, if there are any, should probably be directed there? My ID, for verification purposes, now says South Carolina, but I am not there to monitor mail delivery regularly. All of my billing addresses still say Georgia. How should I register to enter a contract on this website?

This is where my mind goes. Often, at 3:00am. I wrestle with all the ramifications and what-ifs as I try to predict what might happen in the next few months. My thoughts have been over-thunk.  OK, I know that ‘thunk’ is not the past participle verb of Think. But shouldn’t it be? Sink, Sank, Sunk. Drink, Drank, Drunk. Stink, Stank, Stunk. Let your mind go with it.

OK, it’s time to channel my stress energy into something productive. I have “miles to go before I sleep,” so, let me get started on today’s tasks. Sorting, boxing, labeling, and making decisions that I would rather not be making.  What to do with All. This. Stuff.??? Can I sell this? How would I go about doing that? Would we regret letting go of this family heirloom? If I keep this, where will we put it? Do I have room in the new house for that? Is this valuable? What even is this thing? Do I really need this?

So much stuff to deal with. Thirty+ years of living in the same house. And, no matter how much work I do, there is always another closet door to open, another garage shelf to attack, another surprise find that starts an emotional journey down memory lane. Mostly, it’s a positive experience—freeing ourselves of clutter—but, believe me, it is hard work, and often feels overwhelming. I know that in the long run, we will be happy that we didn’t just box up the whole household and drag it to the new house, to be dealt with later. Instead, I am making the hard decisions now.

All this to say…….we are indeed moving. But, it’s a very very slow burn.