Warning: Long Christie Diatribe... I bought a $10 chair at Walmart today and it’s the first time I’ve actually sat down. I almost feel normal sitting on my patio waiting for my sheets to dry - even though it’s the first time in my life I’ve been able to do my own laundry. Because THAT’S cool. Let’s take the words “I”, “me”, “my”, “ and any other derivatives away for a moment. The move to Texas as been an effort of many, of which the kindness of strangers and neighbors has been surreal. One, a factory worker from Craigslist who came to pick up end tables. Said he’d better get if he was going to get food before his 12-hour shift. I cooked him lunch with what I had left in my fridge. I thought I’d never see him again. He came back two days later with a truck and spent his day off helping me haul stuff to UPS. Another from Craigslist came for a dresser and left a friend. She’s sent me uplifting messages before and since the move. My neighbors. My goodness, my neighbors. There was a time I was the strange girl with a hyper dog…always sitting on her porch late at night staring at the sky or typing on a laptop. Two years later at Melrose Place and a porch wasn’t mine anymore - it was OURS. My crazy dog was treated like a prince by them while I was away getting our new home. Moving out was not the task I tried to handle myself anymore, because they all came to help. They also helped donate food, clothing, and furniture to the Chrysalis House and the Humane Society. *I really hope the right bags got where, however, as I am still missing a huge box of knickers. They all, one by one, came to say goodbye. It was as if my time there really meant something on top of what it truly meant to me. I loved them…and I was overwhelmed by their support. You just don’t get that every day. It was again, surreal. Airport goodbyes to my family were almost too painful to bare. I barely made it on the plane, dog in tow. A woman gave up her seat next to me - an UPGRADED seat, to sit in a crappy isle so my dog could be next to me. For the entire flight, passengers helped me calm down, held my hand, and comforted my precious puppy. New coworkers in Texas took half-days off work and their own time to help me settle in and shop for new furniture. Men - if you can imagine meeting some strange woman you have to work with, from a land far, far away, and her asking you to stop at TJ Maxx? Would you run? I would. They helped me choose colors and fabric styles...and reminded me to get the ring thingies for the shower curtain. Let me borrow a crate for my dog. Helped me set up my piano. Other new friends took me out for dinners and are teaching me how to get around. It’s been scary and stressful, but I have to tell you - I feel like the luckiest person on Earth. More moments are going to be scary, and the worst of emotion has not happened yet…but this is not adrenaline or blindness. It is kindness. I was scared to ask for help from anyone. And when the walls were caving in, strangers, family, neighbors and friends - both new and old, volunteered labor, time, and support. I am beside myself with weepy eyes, sitting here on my new porch. Missing my old porch, but invigorated by humanity and excited for the road ahead. I am so humbled. And thankful. I am proud to have known you all and proud to know these new people. Moving across the country does not come highly recommended...at least the physical/emotional part. But if you do it? I pray you can do it like this. :-)
Posted on: Tue, 21 Oct 2014 03:17:24 +0000
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