The last few weeks have been manic. Between winding down and wrapping up one of my businesses, attempting to grow another, packing up a three story house plus product for an online shop (and more), and organizing the details in our new life in Idaho, my move back west has been the largest project of my life. And that is not even to mention the “getting there” side of things, which I am currently undertaking.
I don’t the say the above complaining or looking for sympathy but in undertaking a project of this size it really makes you appreciate the amenities we have of today and truly feel for those that didn’t have it so easy. If you watched the TV series 1883, you will know what I mean.
Despite having moved to Italy by myself at 24 knowing no one, ascertaining a room in an shared apartment online, and living in a country I didn’t know the language and moving back from London to NYC by the skin of my teeth and setting up a new business in one of the toughest cities in the world, this move has by far felt way more stressful and scary. And not scary like I am afraid of anything but giving more daily anxiety leading up to it. I realized, though, that when I was 24 and then again at 33, despite them actually being way more “scarier” moves with vast uncertainty of my future, I took them head on fearlessly as I was by myself.
When you add a wife and children into the mix, people who rely on you, all of the sudden things become way more scary despite there being more certainty. It is hard to explain but I am sure many of you will understand.
But thankfully the worst of it is behind me. As an organizational freak, the thing that was stressing me the most was packing the truck and if we could fit everything. And we managed to get about 95% on it, as well as a trailer towing one of my cars.
The other 5% we gave away, and we will learn to live without. It is somewhat liberating as it goes. So I don’t mind that we didnt fully pack the truck. The important stuff got on and that’s what matters. And now I am on my first trip over to Idaho, in a Penske truck towing our small sedan. Thankfully I didn’t have to drive the truck, as we have a family friend who is an actual truck driver. That mental stress of towing a trailer behind a large truck would have been the icing on the cake I didn’t need. And I love driving but the stress of it I didn’t want to deal with.
The reality is that is just my first trip over with the belongings. I will unload them, and immediately fly back to Jersey and get my wife and son. We will then do a scenic trip driving cross country and make a nice trip of it, which I have always wanted to do and am quite looking forward to. I will be able to show my wife this beautiful country and get to see a few ‘firsts’ for myself, such as Mount Rushmore. I am thoroughly looking forward to Montana.
Being that this trip will be very hands on for me and pretty much computer free, I wanted to update all of you that I likely won’t have much time for posting until I settle in, after August 3rd. I will do my best for a few here and there, though.
Thank you as always for following my journey and supporting!
—Justin FitzPatrick, The Shoe Snob
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