Five Ways Moving Helped Our Family

Kaly Sullivan

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Millions of families move into a new home every year. Whether a move is met with great joy or disappointment, moving ranks at the tip top of life’s most stressful events. Having recently been through a relocation to a new city in a different state, I can say that it was one of the most stressful events that our family of four (my husband and I have two elementary age boys) have been through.

But I can also say that we have changed for the better and the experience has been about much more than our physical location. Our move transformed us in ways that we could not have ever predicted when we decided to relocate our home.

We’re more centered.
I would have predicted that a move would leave us feeling uprooted and out of sorts. We chose to relocate for a career opportunity, and that decision gave us the chance to reconnected with our values and the kind of life we want for our family. We were able to re-prioritize what was important to us vs. keeping up with the Jones’.

We’re more grateful.
Our relocation included months of long distance commuting, trying to sell our home quickly, and an unscrupulous moving company that cost us thousands of dollars. The anxiety that came with these challenges felt relentless. It was messy. But even within all of that mess, my husband and I both were constantly reminding each other: we are safe, we are together, we are healthy. And for all of that, we are very grateful.

We’re more connected.
After all the logistics of our move were sorted out and the boxes unpacked, we had designed a life that gave us more time together as a family. We shrunk commutes and spend less time in cars even being able to sell one of our vehicles. We have more hours in the day to do the things that we want to do together.

We’re more resilient.
You hear that people, especially kids, are resilient. But until your family goes through a transition together, you don’t really get it. I love that we were able to show our kids that new and different doesn’t have to be scary, and stepping outside of your comfort zone is how you learn and grow.

We’re more confident.
I did not see this one coming. In fact, I was worried that the introverted half of our family would go internal and never emerge. But our experience in a new place has been the complete opposite. Sometimes we get into ruts and habits and a fresh start is exactly what we need to shake off the old ways of being and doing things. I’ve been in awe of our family as we’ve all branched out in new ways and stepped into this next chapter of our family story.

Facing a change can bring up all of our worst fears and doubts, but in our experience moving provided us with a whole set of experiences to grow as individuals and as a family. It truly went beyond the boxes, beyond the house, and we’re better people because of it.


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This post was written by Kaly Sullivan exclusively for BonBon Break Media, LLC.

When Kaly doesn’t have her nose in a book, she wrangles and referees two elementary age boys and blogs about her often humorous efforts to lead a mindful, connected life. She's the co-founder of Harlow Park Media and is the author of Good Move: Strategy and Advice for Your Family's Relocation. Her writing has been featured on sites such as Mamalode, In The Powder Room, and Scary Mommy. You can follow her on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.