This whole international moving thing is really kicking my
butt. I just don’t have time for it. Seriously. I can’t remember the last time
that I brushed my hair. The other day, I had to take apart a dreadlock that was
forming underneath all the layers of my very naughty mane.
The more I get rid of and the more I pack, my room seems to
get messier, I cannot even understand how this is logically possible, but alas,
it is.
I have lost the will to follow dress code at work, and I cry
at anyone’s thoughtfulness. Last night after small group, one of my dearest
friends, Sarah, called just to tell me that she loved me and wanted to know how
she could help. This turned into a MAJOR sob fest (on both parts, but mostly
mine). I am pretty sure that opened the flood gates of emotion, so I kindly ask
that no one be nice to be in the weeks preceding my departure. If you are nice,
most likely you will get tears, many hugs, and your shirt might be used as a
snot rag. You’ve been warned.
Because of my deep rooted talent (?) of procrastination (and
my current “hot mess” status), I have decided to avoid that which I should be
doing and write a how-to for people who are saying ‘bye-for-now’ to loved ones
moving far away. You’re welcome in
advance.
*There will be times when we can’t remember anything. Please
pretend you don’t notice. Just a few weeks ago, I planned to have coffee with 2
different people. At the same time. And the same location. AND, they didn’t
know each other (so I couldn’t pass it off like it was a group thing). Oopsie.
*Emotional breakdowns are inevitable, and most likely, not
short. I have no advice for this one. Just expect it. Maybe carry a small
package of tissues for all the tears and such because we will definitely not
remember to carry one with us. Be prepared to give lots of hugs and have no
decent pictures together before we leave due to excessive blotchy faces because
of the ugly cry.
*Our living spaces will be horrifying. It will be an
obstacle course of clothes, books, random sharp objects, and pretty much every
household item. Use this as training for something really cool like Tough
Mudder or the Warrior Dash. It will be pretty much the same, especially when
stepping barefoot on a plugged-in curling iron. If you can handle that, you can
definitely handle the 10,000 volt electrocution at the end of Tough Mudder.
(You can thank us later).
*We will look consistently frazzled. While we sincerely appreciate the offers of
help and questions asking what still needs to be done, the truth is, WE HAVE NO
IDEA. There is so much to do that we cannot actually remember. It may be more
helpful to sit us down and have us make a list, otherwise, the attitude (at
least mine) is ‘screw-it.’
*You may have to reach out to us to schedule time together. Either
due to extreme busyness or an acute case of exhaustion, we may be hesitant to
initiate hang out time. Also, our minds are in two places, which is a strange
mental exercise. We will be using parts of our brain that have been sleeping
since high school (maybe earlier).
*Speaking of our brains, they are pretty much on the verge
of shutting down. The task of constructing complete sentences becomes exhausting
and you will be lucky if we can still recite the alphabet or correctly identify
our primary colors.
***on a more serious note***
*Our brains don’t reflect our hearts. We love you, but we
may not be showing how deeply we care in the midst of this transition. It isn’t
because we don’t want to, but because we are severely distracted. Sometimes,
though, it does seem too hard to say goodbye, and we do avoid it. There will be
questions swirling around our minds asking us if it really is worth it to leave.
The thought of leaving each of you breaks our hearts and emotionally we don’t
know how to deal. Please forgive us for shutting you out at times, or
distancing ourselves, the unreturned phone calls, or any other behavior that is
hurtful. It isn’t our intention. We just don’t know how to navigate these new
waters. Thank you for your patience and bearing with us. Even though we can’t
(or don’t) express it, it means more to us than you know. Please keep us in your prayers and keep us
accountable to time with each other and with Jesus. It is a struggle to even do
one of anything well at this point. We need you, and are just doing a very poor
job of showing it.
I think the moral of this post is we need community and
Jesus and are having a horrible time balancing what needs to be done and
continually pursuing relationships. Please forgive us! Thank you, friends and
family, for being so awesome and so supportive, and faithful. I mean, we are
already a train wreck, imagine where we would be without you! Or maybe don’t
walk down that road; it seems to be a little frightening.
(fyi: ‘we’ refers to the community of ‘movers.’ I am not
referring to myself in multiples; although, I may not be far off from that…)
Anything that you would add? Or anything that
isn’t accurate?
