It has begun. We are sub 45 days out, the chaos has arrived and it feels like a million different emotions happening at one time. This is the hard part, the unraveling of your current chapter. I call this the farewell tour because in many ways, it feels like every experience from here on out could be the last version of itself. The last time we visit this beach town or have a date night at our favorite place, etc… It’s a bit of a roller coaster, one you have to ride to get to the other side.

Decision fatigue mixed with the the counting down of the days often leaves me feeling both over-scheduled and behind at the same time. However, I’m not sure there is really any other way. Our family is typically organized and plans ahead well, but so much of moving abroad happens at the end. There is selling of items, paperwork for moving, new school zoom meet and greets and official documents that need attention. The sorting of belongings, the last minute preparations for what’s ahead and constant logistical changes. It all happens now.

And then there is saying goodbyes. Lots of them…. to places, to things, to friends and family. It’s a processing of grief in the middle of an whirlwind of excitement. To be brutally honest, I hate this part…. but it’s a really important part. Processing through belongings, being grateful for our home, our life as we know it, and then letting it go with an open heart. Part of the journey is the end, and that will always sit with me.

So while I have a few more weeks to feel the feelings of familiarity… I know that many of these wonderful moments will come with me as memories. I’m putting them in the bank for those first few weeks of loneliness that I know will catch up to me.