A Year of Change

Yesterday was our “big” moving day, and despite the monsoon we were having, we got it all done! I didn’t realize how many things we had until the 5th trip to the storage unit, seeing our cars filled to the ceiling each time. My conclusion of the day: moving sucks.

When we moved into this rental, we were completely new to living together. In those many months, we realized a lot of things about each other and our relationship. We realized the areas in which we were strong, and weak. We realized the things we needed to accept about each other. There were issues within our relationship that we had never addressed, and now, within our tiny home, we had to.

As I stood in our empty living room yesterday, it was hard to imagine it again with our belongings scattered about. It was hard to imagine the tiny Christmas tree that Kyle found us, with its little white lights twinkling off the corner of our walls, and the paper towels we had stuffed under the door from a harsh winter. It’s hard to imagine the person we both were when we first walked through that door. I wonder what I would think if I met that version of myself now.

I know that people say that couples are supposed to fight, and that it’s the healthy thing to do now and then. And it’s not that we don’t at all anymore, but I can tell you that it’s so much less than it used to be. We weren’t fighting every day, but it was more often that either of us would like to admit. We were both holding onto things that happened years ago that were hurting us. And within those walls, we found a way to forgive each other for the hurt we caused. Now, when we fight about little silly things, our anger turns into laughter and we learn to let it go than and there.

Our home had seen me at some of the lowest lows I have ever had, but also some of my favorite memories. And as I stared out our living room window, I remembered the sound of Kyle coming down the walkway to our front door; a sound so familiar to me. But like many others, this chapter has closed. The next year will bring many changes just as this one has, and we will grow from those as well.