My dad was in the Navy. Naturally I became good at being the New Girl in school. Somehow against all my good intentions, I managed to keep moving myself even after graduating from college. I’ve officially made my fourteenth move (if you don’t count being born as a move).
What does that say about me?
No, it’s not that I like to move. Personally, I think it indicates that I enjoy change. At the same time, I love stability. I do see how uprooting my life every few years doesn’t seem to foster stability, but it kind of works for me. That means that I take a risk and make opportunities to have positive influence over what’s going on in my life. And that influence leads to stability.
Moving constantly doesn’t always have to be the solution to taking a promotion or pursuing a graduate degree. Those options just happened to be in different states for me.
Instead, the scope of change can be in your backyard. You can find change in any location, and you can even decide the bigness of the change. The key is that you have to assess how much change is needed to accomplish what you want. Then go get it.
I am new to Fort Worth but I hope to stick around for a long while. I’m really over moving boxes. Then my future of change could be focused on client projects or work responsibilities. Even just getting a dog. The idea here is that I want to play an active role in my life. So should you.
I thought I’d wrap up with a list of all the places I’ve lived (some places twice). You can be amazed or feel incredibly thankful that you haven’t had to pack boxes almost every year of your life.
- Pensacola, Fla.
- Lemoore, Calif.
- Coronado, Calif.
- Lemoore, Calif.
- Virginia Beach, Va.
- Newport, R.I.
- San Diego, Calif.
- Sasebo, Japan
- Virginia Beach, Va.
- Williamsburg, Va.
- Arlington, Va.*
- Minneapolis, Minn.*
- Blacksburg, Va.*
- Weldon Spring, Mo.*
- Fort Worth, Texas*
*all post-college moves
Have you moved frequently in your life? Do you like change and stability, too? What does moving say about you?
{ 4 comments }
You probably kept moving b/c you lived in places like Blacksburg, VA. Shoulda stayed in San Diego probably.
Hello! Yes, I’ve moved a lot in the last 15 years post undergrad:
from Davenport, IA
Dallas, TX
Chicago, IL
Virginia Beach, VA
Norwalk, CT
Cary, NC
Fairfax, VA
Some moves have been for education, some have been for jobs and some have been for personal reasons. I’m very similar to you in that I like change, but like stability at the same time. Moving also shows flexibility and adaptability. I have enjoyed experiencing different environments and people in these different locations.
I see we have lived in some of the same places as well. What were your favorites?
Hi!
I’m moving to Fort Worth from Minneapolis next weekend, and I’m a frequent mover as well. I am not a child of the military, but my trek to Fort Worth will be my 17th home in my 11th city in my 7th state in about 23 years (happy to know I’m not alone!)
I will say that I do love change, but I plan on sticking around Fort Worth for quite a while because I, too, am tired of packing and unpacking and am looking for some stability. I think aside from loving change and being extremely adaptable, moving has also made me very outgoing. I’m not afraid to take some risks here and there and I love meeting new people and trying new things.
Here are my some of my locations:
Born in Macon, GA
Childhood all throughout Wisconsin (5 cities)
High School near St. Louis, MO
College in Chicago, IL
Brief stint in Jacksonville, FL
Ad school in Minneapolis, MN
And now Texas!
Any Fort Worth tips for a 20-something transplant?
I’ve been on the move since 2001. I have the heart of a gypsy — a wanderer. Bob Dylan once wrote, “He not busy being born is busy dying.” I think change fits somewhere in there. Don’t you?