April 2022 - Move Update
Hello! I have been noticing withdrawal symptoms from not being in contact on our move to Panama, and that coincided with questions from a few people asking how and if things were going. So I am thinking that I will route out at least one update a month to let you know what's up with our move. Here is March, just before the clock flips over to April.
Latitudinal Adjustment: One of the first things I noticed upon our return is that I take different showers in Seattle than I do in Panama. Panama showers may only offer warm water for a few minutes, and perhaps not at all. I take pragmatic showers in Panama - get clean, get out. Are they energizing? Nope! Granted, cold water in January in Panama is 65 degrees, not nearly as cold as Seattle's in winter, at 40 - but still, too cold for comfort. In Seattle, I take therapeutic showers. I wake up slowly in the warm water. I relax muscles. I soak in the steam. I do everything slowly and warmly. And when I get out of the Seattle shower into the colder room, am I energized? Nope! But therapy is a good thing!
The Plan: Our plan is to take two suitcases each and move to Panama in September, renting out our Seattle condo/co-op for the allowed 2 years. We will move to different neighborhoods in the Boquete area, and perhaps Volcan (on the other side of the mountain from Boquete), and test out what feels most comfortable, so that at the end of two years, we can decide whether it was as great an idea as it seems, and what to do for the longer term (eg: buy, rent, try somewhere else). We will store those things that we are willing to pay big bucks to ship to Panama, and at the end of the two years, decide whether and when to send them to someplace we have chosen for the longer term in Panama - likely books, some jewelry-making stuff, and perhaps a few small artworks. Goal: Keep it small and move on.
Intimidation: This Seattle apartment has been home for 26 years, and we have a bunch of stuff and memories, about 2000 books, Gramma's stuff, Mom's stuff, Dad's stuff, and a collection of jewelry-making stuff that is 55 years old (my estimate is about 15,000 items that I was going to REALLY get into jewelering when I retired). On top of the stuff in the 1000 square foot apartment, is a 10x10x10 foot storage space in the basement that used to be organized, and is a storehouse of artworks, yarn, vintage clothing, and I am not sure what all else. A giant "whew!" of intimidation! I started going through things that would narrow down treasures, but cleaning the inside of jewelry boxes and treasure boxes was not producing progress I could see. I couldn't see any measurable change and it didn't feel like I was getting anywhere toward the 2 suitcases to take to Panama. So, last weekend while Miguel worked, I took down the bedroom decor so it wouldn't look like "home" anymore. It worked - no more drapey canopy in eggplant purple, gold, and cream. No more swag curtains at the window. No more matching duvet cover, boxspring valance, or decorative pillows. Note the After photo - now it looks like the first apartment I had when I was 18 at Foothill Trace in Bellevue - basically a bed and sheets - a cloud-colored sleeping space.
As a part of clearing out, and adding to the intimidation, we donated the Saturn the week after we returned. This has been Miguel's car for 20 years, and it had reached the point of costing more to fix than the car was worth. It was a good move. BUT, it means that we are sharing one car, and that means I've stilted my ability to make plans, go shopping, and decide anything at a moment's notice - what a change for me! Miguel leaves for work at 2:00/14:00 and returns at midnight. Because he works so late, we don't get to sleep until 01:00, and by the time I am awake and capable of speaking in the morning, the morning is well on its way to mid-day. Miguel's lunch is at noon, shower at 1:00, departure at 2:12 - where did the day go? So many adjustments!
So, for a while, I am going to focus on moving out stuff that shows I am doing something. Artworks, the DVD collection, the winter clothing as I no longer need it. When I can see progress, I can keep moving. But getting past the get-started intimidation took me 6 weeks. I am glad to be able to see progress. This is all still intimidating, but at least I can point to the bedroom and remind myself that I can keep moving, and if I keep moving, I can get there!
Retirement: Miguel is still in healthcare, working for Swedish hospital Cherry Hill in the inpatient pharmacy. Healthcare is where the pandemic burnout really shows - caregivers are tired, ready to change careers, and taking advantage of every day of union-negotiated sick leave and vacation time possible. Miguel asked to go to half-time in December, but it is not an easy thing for the hospital to fill those positions, and when positions are left empty, patient care suffers. Right now, he is working 14 shifts a month, down from 20, and last week, Miguel turned in his letter of intent to retire on July 31. They requested that he give at least three months' notice because replacing his position with a qualified person will take at least 3 months to find, and then they will need to train the new person to work the second shift without much support (fewer people work on second shift and graveyard). But, Miguel's retirement is officially announced and we kept a copy of the letter just in case they lose it and need reminding.
We are begun! We have miles to go before September - decisions at every turn, and adjustments around every corner. I am a person who hasn't moved very often (ex: 26 years in this apartment, and 20 years in the Ballard apartment), and I never considered a new place to be "home" until I had hung my artwork. Major trips were marked by artwork purchases - I never collected souvenir keyrings or coffee cups, but large artworks that now decorate our life - and our storage space. Miguel has collected leather-bound books - major works that show the scholarly ambitions and interests of a kid from the village of Chimaltenengo, raised without running water or electricity in a village that had school through the sixth grade, but no library. We have as much to get through emotionally as we do physically.
BUT! We can point to the bedroom and smile at the beginning we've made.
Photos: You can see our new cloud bedroom - practically naked compared to its old self. The other photo I found in one of my boxes of treasures. That is me at the age of three when we lived in Ballard. Kathy and I had matching dresses from that flowered linen-type fabric. You will notice as I find more photos, that haircut has re-surfaced many times over my life!
Happy April in a few minutes! I will send you an April update, but it may be a last-minute April 30 email, as I have to feel like I made progress in order to have something to talk about! Until then!
PS: Feel free to let me know if you would like to opt-out of these emails, out or if you expected a monthly update and nothing showed up - sending these BCC means I am relying on my memory to list the recipients, and my memory is likely to get clogged up with memories I am uncovering every day, so may be spotty. Aloha!
Mary Bea y Miguel