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It can be quite challenging to move. And not just because there may be a lot of stuff to move from one place to another, but more so because you don’t typically feel settled until you have positioned your stuff into the places that you are familiar with.
For example, If I am used to my toothbrush being to the right of my faucet of the sink in my bathroom, whenever I move or go someplace new, placing my toothbrush to the right of the faucet of the bathroom sink helps to make me feel settled. Therefore, even when I am staying for only one night in a hotel, I don’t usually feel settled until I have unpacked my bag and placed my things in spots that I am familiar with. But what happens when its more than just our stuff we need to find familiarity with to feel settled? What happens when we need to find familiarity within ourselves to feel settled?
I am noticing that this is what happens with me, now, whenever I travel back and forth to Germany. In both homes, I have all the familiar stuff I need in all the familiar places I need it in. Yet, despite not having to unpack, it always takes me several days before I feel settled. After all, the trip to Germany is long and filled with time zone changes. For me, the jet lag a bit harder to manage when I travel to Germany. Somehow, the overnight flight and lack of a good night’s sleep, makes me feel foggy for a day or two. In addition, as much as it helps to have a comfortable bed ready for me to tuck into, there is no level of comfortableness and familiarity that will tell my brain that I should be sleeping at 3 a.m. when it thinks that it is still only 9 p.m. And since I can’t ‘will’ my internal clock to adjust within a day, I find myself engaging in familiar behaviors to compensate such as skipping breakfast or making sure I watch news before going to bed.
The same holds true for when I travel back to the USA. The jet lag is a bit easier to manage but, I am realizing that I never feel completely settled until I have seen … my grandchildren. They are the ultimate source of my comfort and familiarity and the ones I miss the most when I am gone. Video chatting is great, but it is not the same and nothing beats their tight squeezes with their little arms when I return. When I see them, that is when I know I am home and feel truly…settled.
Hugs. Kisses.
Kathy Naumann, possessor of NATURALLY curly hair and the understanding that you can’t control everything!
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