In preparing for our move to Doha we decided to rent, rather than sell our house. As luck would have it, and like everything else about this move, things fell nicely into place and we were quick to find a nice family to rent our house. The catch was that they needed to be in before we'd anticipated moving out. Specifically, they needed housing by the 25th of June and we did not leave until August at the earliest.
Because we felt so good about the tenants we felt no choice but to move ahead and rent to them. This meant finding alternate accommodation for our family. We had two easy options - Pat's parents' place in Oakville or my parents' place in Aurora. Because Aurora is our home and closest to most of our friends and the kids' friends we opted to stay with my folks for the summer. And they told us they were glad to have us.
Less than ideal was the fact that Pat left for a conference in Washington, D.C. on the 19th, the day after our shipment was picked up, leaving me to pack up the rest of the house by the 25th. At least I had the sense to take the week off work, but even with that, it was one crazy, busy week!
Together, Pat and I had moved most of our belongings that we were keeping to storage in his parents' basement, but it was amazing what remained. You never realize how much stuff you have accumulated until it comes time to move. I found myself asking myself over and over again, why do I own this item? What is the sentimental value it holds? Do I really want my children to have to figure out how to dispose of this stuff someday?
We got rid of a ton of stuff, but I'm sure there is still much more that could go. I hope that a big part of this experience is learning how to live with less. To escape the consumerism that is so rampant in the 'burbs. To teach my children that life is not about how much you have, but how much you do with the time that you have. That relationships and life experiences are more important than wealth and "stuff".
Wish me luck!
Because we felt so good about the tenants we felt no choice but to move ahead and rent to them. This meant finding alternate accommodation for our family. We had two easy options - Pat's parents' place in Oakville or my parents' place in Aurora. Because Aurora is our home and closest to most of our friends and the kids' friends we opted to stay with my folks for the summer. And they told us they were glad to have us.
Less than ideal was the fact that Pat left for a conference in Washington, D.C. on the 19th, the day after our shipment was picked up, leaving me to pack up the rest of the house by the 25th. At least I had the sense to take the week off work, but even with that, it was one crazy, busy week!
Together, Pat and I had moved most of our belongings that we were keeping to storage in his parents' basement, but it was amazing what remained. You never realize how much stuff you have accumulated until it comes time to move. I found myself asking myself over and over again, why do I own this item? What is the sentimental value it holds? Do I really want my children to have to figure out how to dispose of this stuff someday?
We got rid of a ton of stuff, but I'm sure there is still much more that could go. I hope that a big part of this experience is learning how to live with less. To escape the consumerism that is so rampant in the 'burbs. To teach my children that life is not about how much you have, but how much you do with the time that you have. That relationships and life experiences are more important than wealth and "stuff".
Wish me luck!
- Moving On....
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