Pollyanna

One night when I couldn't sleep, I looked for a book that would be simple and pleasant to read before I tried to sleep again. I choose Pollyanna (by Eleanor H. Porter), remembering not all the details, but that the main character was a little girl who made a game out of looking for something good in every situation.

That reminds me of some thoughts on moving. I had not considered it a game, but a way of organizing thoughts. Over the years of moving, I have found two categories: the grieving category and the moving on category.

Moving is always hard. So it helps to consider both. The Grieving Category begins with some obvious things that make me glad to be here: "I will miss....my friends and my first-floor laundry."

The Moving On category includes things that loosen my hold on a place: "I will not miss ... ." So there can be purpose in recognizing what I will not miss, in that it helps free me to move on to the next place.

Of course, at the same time, I can begin to think of the good things to come.