So transitions continue - The dictionary defines transition as "movement, passage, change from one position, state, stage, subject, concept, etc. to another, change."  My husband and I are transitioning from one life stage to another - the stage of accumulation of material things and career growth to retirement, decluttering/divestiture of "stuff" and downsizing to smaller living space. We're on a virtual rollercoaster ride moving from excitement about the new stage to sadness of saying farewell to the present stage.  In 2017 we started to think about moving to a warmer climate and living in smaller space - good thing, we didn't fully understand what it would take to rid ourselves of the accumulation of stuff from living in one place for 27 years or we may not have started!

We find ourselves in less than 60 days of listing our home of 27 years to selling and moving into our 900 square foot cabin, that we bought ten years ago for a weekend go to spot. I may have thought differently about that purchase had I been able to see into the future and contemplate living in this 900 square feet for six months out of the year. Though we've been purging for several months, this last push included a couple of very large dumpsters - a couple of storage units that go from almost empty to moderately full and some frustration about what to keep and what must go. We ask ourselves daily, "how did we get to this point - and am I really attached to this thing?" "We will never accumulate like this again..." This requires confronting what's really important to you individually, to you as a couple, and to identifying what you need to be true to yourselves on the next leg of this life's journey.

I've been meandering around this post for almost a month now. We're now six days away from packing the moving truck to take some of our "stuff" to our new home in Arizona. Everyday we find ourselves reshuffling what to take, what stays in Iowa, and what can permanently leave our care. It's definitely a continuous improvement process. So I think it's time to get my thoughts together also and publish this post.

Today I came across this quote from American author Deepak Chopra: "All great changes are preceded by chaos." We're definitely in a period of chaos and excitedly looking forward to the changes awaiting us in Arizona. As long as we keep what's important in our lives: faith, family, and friends - we will manage through the chaos to the significant changes that lie ahead.