“We leave something of ourselves behind when we leave a place, we stay there, even though we go away. And there are things in us that we can find again only by going back there.”

Pascal Mercier, Night Train to Lisbon

We’ve been in our home here in BC for nine months now and just this week I was struggling to remember if I’d ever opened the box from the move that contained my summer dresses. Why summer dresses, you may be asking. We’re lucky to be heading off to Paris in a couple of days and the weather there is going to be hot (thank you, Climate Change) so lighter clothes are in order.

On the last move

When we moved here, I had packed a few clothes for summer & early fall in our suitcases that came with us in the car just in case our shipped property was waylaid (which it was) and arrived later than planned (which it did). But the bulk of our summer clothes were shipped with our furniture. Trouble is, I couldn’t remember if I’d unpacked summer clothes when our multitude of boxes and furniture finally arrived. Struggle as I did, I couldn’t recall and I couldn’t find the clothes which only reinforced my uncertainty over whether or not they’d actually ever arrived.

It’s a vicious circle.

There are certainly benefits to moving this often. I’m great at packing and prepping for a move. I’m a pro. And I challenge anyone to unpack and set up a home as quickly as I can. I’ve often felt there’s money to be made offering my services as a “Move Consultant”. Not sure how to organize your packing? I’ve got you covered. Lost on how to keep track of what you’ve packed or which box things are in? No problem; I have a system for that. I can pack you up and unpack you in record time. Having said that, I probably won’t remember where I’ve put everything in your new home but you can’t win them all.

But on the other side…

But there are also obvious drawbacks. Surprisingly, for me at least, the moves start to meld together… did we bring that on this move, or did we get rid of it a couple of moves ago? And there’s the general, underlying, constant state of confusion because you never really have a chance to totally settle and know, with confidence, where everything is in your home.

Which brings me back to the Curious Case of the Missing Summer Frocks. Time was running out and despite my darling partner’s suggestion that I “just buy new stuff when we get there; it’s Paris” I like my dresses and didn’t want to have to replace them. It was over coffee yesterday morning that it dawned on me.

In our primary closet, at the top, in a large basket, there they were. Neatly folded and ready for the next opportunity to be put on display. All’s well that ends well but I can tell you this. I’m not in a rush to move anywhere anytime soon.