Anticlimactic, to say the least
I was the one that had to wrap up the loose ends in Orlando as Dave went off to start our grand new life in the big city.
That meant touch-up paint, that meant scrubbing bathrooms and toilets, that meant trips to Goodwill, and that also meant spending nights on an air mattress after eating dinner alone off a paper plate standing up at the counter.
The transition time during a cross-country move is certainly not glamorous, but it was what made the most sense for us. I was able to finish up my last week in the office (for a job I will continue in a remote capacity for several weeks out West), teach my last Body Pump classes (a tear or two was shed, more details on that coming later), sell back my car (cash money!) as well as start working with a realtor to find a tenant for our condo (a sore subject: currently unresolved).
The long, drawn out closing to a more than six-year life in Orlando was for me … anticlimactic, to say the least. I said my goodbyes to most of my best friends the weekend before during our going away party. I said goodbye to my comfortable Orlando life the moment we sold all of our furniture. And, I had firmly said goodbye to plans for a building a future in Orlando the second we toyed with the idea of moving. After all is said and done, I am going to leave Orlando with countless fond memories – many of which include Dave, our wedding, fun “grouptivities” with friends, and a storied period of growth, both personally and professionally as I entered my late twenties.
As a piece of advice for those preparing for a move, it seems that the difficult details and the wrapping up of loose ends can be more challenging than expected, but these hardships are a necessary means to reaching a certain point. What I found during those last few days, (the second to last just so happened to include spilling paint throughout the community of our condo building which I was subsequently charged for by building management), was that tough endings make for closure. I can honestly say I left the city with a real “ready to go” feeling. In fact, I typed this original post on the floor as my bags were packed and I was waiting for my Mom to arrive to hit the road … I couldn’t have been more anxious to walk out of the place I’d called home and lock the door one final time.
No one wants to end an era before they are ready. And, no, it wasn’t the grand exit I would have dreamed of. But, I’m more than certain it was right. Goodbye Orlando, hello West Coast.