Google defines move, present participle moving, as:
- go in a specified direction or manner; change position.
- change or cause to change from one state, opinion, sphere, or activity to another.
- make progress; develop in a particular manner or direction.
- spend one’s time or be socially active in (a particular sphere) or amount (a particular group of people)
- propose for discussion and resolution at a meeting or legislative assembly.
- empty (one’s bowels). Haha - my personal favorite!
A few weeks ago I moved down to Dallas, Texas from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was not a planned move. We had been living in Milwaukee for about two years and my partner and I had just agreed that we were excited to stick around Milwaukee for a few years and really settle in. And then one month later, he unexpectedly got a great job offer…in Dallas, Texas.
We weighed our options. We took the leap.
Truth be told, this wasn’t the first time we’ve up and moved across the country. In fact, over the past five years we have lived in four different places - Minneapolis, Vancouver, Milwaukee, and now Dallas. This move felt different for me though.
Some of the moves I have made in my life were to escape – to get a clean slate. And just as “they” say, all my shit just followed me, so that didn’t ultimately work. Some of the moves were for a job or a partner that I was pursuing - sometimes blind to my own needs. Some of the moves were an attempt to create the life I thought I wanted – to create the external image of who I actually thought I wanted to be. Some of the moves totally blindsided me and felt like a punch in the gut.
The common thread in these previous moves was they were primarily driven by an underlying belief that me, my life, where I am right now (physically and mentally), is not enough and can be improved, fixed, or would be better in some way by something external and outside of myself being a certain way. A new job. A new city. A new life. A new set of circumstances. A new future.
I still desire improvements to my life and don’t love unexpected changes - because that is totally normal. AND, this move to Texas has, for the first time, been about experiencing change and newness from a place of abundance versus deficit. Through practicing radical acceptance of me exactly as I am today, I can know that even if nothing else ever changed ever again I am already an amazing human being right here, right now. And so, any newness, change, or improvements simply become the extra toppings on your smoothie, instead of becoming the whole damn smoothie! *Smoothie photo source: Lee Tilghman, IG @leefromamerica
Keep doin’ you.