Today I engaged in the one activity that’s universally accepted by all New Yorkers as the worst experience you can endure: moving apartments.
I stared early this morning. My girlfriend and I went to pick up the rental truck at 9AM, parked it outside my current apartment and rallied my helpers over a breakfast of egg and cheese sandwiches. One by one, box by box we loaded all of my earthly belongings into the elevator, down to the street and into the truck. As we drove down the street – the four of us squished four-across in the front seat of the truck – I felt a strange mix of emotions. I was anxious about moving apartments, curious about my new neighborhood, and sad that my best friend and roommate for the last 6 years was moving down to Atlanta to go back to school.
Rolling carefully down the street, with all my belongings in tow, it seemed that all of this change was happening so fast! I felt out of control.
Sitting here now, on an air mattress in an empty room that used to be my bedroom, I’m preparing to spend one last night in my old apartment and reflecting on the experiences and emotions of the day.
All of my reflections keep leading me back to the same thought: change happens all the time. Whether it’s moving apartments, or going back to school – or coming to terms with the terminal illness of a relative, or having a second child. It’s inescapable.
But how can we possibly deal with all of this change and unpredictability? How can we stay sane while the pillars of our lives are constantly shifting and reforming? How can we live knowing that life is finite?
In my view, there is only one way: embrace change and enjoy every minute. If you don’t – the next time you look up you’ll find that things have already changed around you.