Let's Go, Jane!

At my sister’s request, I will start including an audio version of the blog whenever possible.

Well, I guess I really am doing this. I woke up in my sister’s house this morning, having turned over the keys to my apartment last night. The last two weeks have been an absolute blur as I got rid of most of my belongings and prepared to go nomadic for a time. In the end, I sold 23 items on Marketplace or Craigslist, scheduled 39 pickups through my local free stuff group on Facebook, and made two trips to Green Drop (a donation center) and one trip to Goodwill. My boyfriend took some stuff, my sister took some stuff, and my mother bought my vacuum. 

I’m a little bit in shock this morning, as the reality of my new existence has not sunk in yet. Wherever I am, this is where I live. It was hard to answer the question people kept asking when picking up stuff. Are you moving? Yes, just not to anywhere in particular.

Winding down my time at the apartment was bittersweet. There were echoes of when I first moved in–the orchid that I bought the first week decided after two years of producing nothing but leaves that now was a good time to flower. When I first moved in, my sisters came for dinner and took me to the grocery store to fill my fridge and pantry. This week, when they came back for dinner my younger sister (who spent the night) had to bring her own air mattress. On my way out of town I grabbed a slice of pizza, only to realize that the only time I’ve ever been to that pizza place was the night my son moved into the apartment two years ago.

So, here I am, car still loaded to the ceiling because I was too exhausted to unpack it last night. I have all day today to get things into the basement and organized, and to get myself packed up for my first epic international trip. Tomorrow I fly to Europe where I will visit London, Helsinki, and Amsterdam for four nights each. All gloriously alone. I scheduled free walking tours for my first day in each city, and I’ve reserved bicycles in the latter two.

This trip will be proof of concept for whether I can stay in hostels. I’ll be in a shared room in London (4-person female only room), and single rooms with shared bathrooms in Helsinki and Amsterdam. [Side note: I’m still offended by that hostel I found that won’t rent to anyone over the age of 50. They don’t deserve me.]

Driving to my sister’s house last night, I could not help but feel all the feels. I’m proud of myself for pulling off this major logistical achievement. Going from a fully furnished two bedroom apartment down to a car load packed to the gills was no small feat. As I released each item into the world I felt a growing sense of lightness, until I felt like I could float away. Which is exactly what I plan to do, starting tomorrow. Thank you, as always, for being part of this journey with me.