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| Newburgh, Indiana River Front. Photo by Karen D. Austin |
As I travel through life, I find that planning my life out 50 years ahead is futile.
Spending a lot of time thinking about the next 10 years or even the next 5 years ends up distracting me too much from current opportunities.
Now I visualize my life more in six months increments. I might project a little further ahead, but I don't spend much time doing that, and those plans remain more ethereal.
Right now, I'm in a great state of flux.
I'm selling my Kansas house in May and moving to Indiana.
Not only do I have to manage a lot of pragmatics, I am managing emotional and conceptual aspects of my life. A lot of my identity is wrapped up in my social connections and roles in various organizations.
By moving 600 plus miles away, I will have to reinvent myself. Again.
I wouldn't call this an identity crisis. By midlife, I have changed my external situation and my social connections several times. I have a fairly consistent core identity. This allows me to have faith and remain calm during a period of great change.
I'm not sure what roles I will adopt in Indiana. I will explore opportunities for paid work and volunteer work during my first six months as a new resident. I might end up doing work in gerontology, technical writing, or English education, since I have experience in these fields.
I could end up entering an entirely new field. That's what happened when I moved to Kansas.
After I unpack the Indiana house, I might work on a vision board.
My teen daughter has a lot of craft supplies, or I might create a digital one. Our new home is located fewer than two miles from the Ohio River. The river is pictured above with the Town Hall and local library on the left. There is a walking path there on the right (out of view between the line of cars and the river).
I will take the dog on long walks and think about how to adopt roles in my new community.
Related:
The More Things Change
While changes this big are challenging and even scary, they usually end up helping you grow and even making you a little younger mentally. There are those who have moved to a remote country area, lost their spouse and feel totally alone and depressed and unable to financial change their location, but those are people who did not look ahead
ReplyDeleteOh, I feel bad for those who lose a spouse after moving to a new area. That would be isolating. I am more of a city mouse, so I would chose to live in a tiny place in a town rather than someplace in the country. But I know some people like to get away from the hectic pace of city living. All my best to people as they manage changes, big and small.
DeleteAs you are probably aware, there's a lot of stress involved in moving, esp long distance, so be kind to yourself and those you love. Taking the dog for a long walk ... that sounds like a good idea!
ReplyDeleteWill do!
DeleteLike you, I've reinvented myself several times, and moving seemed to be a big part of that! Moving is stressful, and takes you off of your life path (and away from your plans) for a while.I hope you keep blogging about this experience, although it may be hard to find the time! I enjoy your informative and inspirational blog, and would miss it if you needed to take a break. But do look after yourself, your body, your soul, your mind!
ReplyDeleteI may end up having a three week gap in blogging (circa May 20th through June 20th) as I unpack the house, but I plan on posting regularly again after we establish some semblance of order! Thanks for reading / commenting.
DeleteI have moved a lot recently: locally, across the country etc. None of the times have I been excited about the move – – but the one thing we did always invigorate me was the thought of reinventing myself xo
ReplyDeleteCarla: Oh, moving a lot in a short period of time must have been exhausting. I hope you are enjoying your current location--and your most recently constructed persona!
DeleteBest of luck Karen! Moving does have some benefits, you clear out all your unused crap and you have to make an effort to meet new people. But it is stressful, and I wish you well.
ReplyDeleteIndeed! 1 truckload to the dump, 1 truckload to a church yard sale, 10 trips to Goodwill, and a couple dozen Hefty bags into the trash. We've been here 8 years, and I can't believe the odd things we've accumulated in such a short amount of time. Thanks for the good vibes. I'll take 'em!
DeleteGood luck! I know you will do just fine!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Carol!
DeleteI love the area that you are moving too and know it quite well. My husband's sister lived there for many years before her passing and I have nothing but fond memories of the place. Good luck in your new transition.
ReplyDeleteGlad to know you are familiar with the area. Evansville (to the west) is the 3rd largest city in Indiana, but I am just learning about it with this move. I've gone twice for brief trips, and it seems very nice. I will miss friends here, but I'm looking forward to putting down roots in Newburgh.
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