PICTURE YOUR LIFE, YOUR POSSESSIONS. IF YOU HAD TO MOVE, HOW WOULD YOU DO IT? A U-HAUL? YOUR FRIEND'S PICKUP? SEVERAL TRIPS IN YOUR CAR?
As a seasonal employee, this question crosses my mind at least twice a year. For most of the previous decade I have picked up and moved at least twice a year. I’m employed in the summer and winter and transition between the two places during the shoulder seasons, spring and fall. The cycle continues.
What a hassle it becomes when you accumulate more possessions, knick-knacks and tid-bits. As I have grown more wise, I have learned that the less I have, the more time I have. Hmmmm...what a discovery! Since this epiphany was realized, my life possessions have dwindled (this is good). I have shaved off clothes, unnecessary posters, shoes, furniture, the works.
216 gallons.
Packed to the top!
The volume of space where I will store, not only mine, but my wife’s possessions as well. We are moving, yet again. Our life possessions have been limited to the necessities of our life, the things that keep us happy, entertained, and healthy.
Imagine 108 milk jugs stacked five rows deep, five across and four jugs high...then throw on eight more (that’s a lot of milk!). This is the metaphorical space I have to stash my goods during our next move. Solange having the equivalent.
(Our trusty boxes, 27 milk jugs, soon to be filled)
Fortunately for us, during a road trip in my younger times, I had become frustrated with my moving arrangement. In order to reach my clothes, I needed to remove a cooler, guitar, boots, and a few boxes. At this point I decided that investing in a Thule roof cargo box would be extremely beneficial. And that’s exactly what I did. In the midst of the desert, in Salt Lake City, I found that box. The box still resides with me to this day, the stickers are faded and peeling, the scratches on the top act as a remembrance of the low parking garages that were left unvisited.
Simplicity. This is a mantra that revolves around my life, for if not for simplicity, I don’t believe I’d be able to pick up and leave as I have done so many times. The ability to leave within a week's notice to a place totally unfamiliar, it’s all part of the adventure! With simplicity comes another quality I emphasize in my life, utilitarianism. Due to my limited space, I need to own possessions that are few, multifaceted and reliable. Bringing me to my third motto, quality over quantity. Why have several items that are not all that great, when you can have one item that is dependable without second guessing it.
A take away of my three important values:
Simplicity
Utilitarianism
Quality over quantity
Where in the world is Tyler (and Solange) heading this time? A standard question to surface.
And the answer, North. Canada, to the land of toques, maple syrup, flannels and healthcare.
The time has come where Solange will no longer be able to remain in the US, her six months are quickly wrapping up. We will now be performing some sort of Freaky Friday-esque act, but rather than switching bodies, we are switching countries. I will now be the unemployed visitor and she will be the employed resident. This is all very new to the both of us.
Navigating the legalities, visas and the COVID-19 restrictions between the two countries has been, to say the least, a headache. We applied for my Canadian visa mid September and have just recently received verification that the immigration office has received it, a nail-biting 180 days later. Although I cannot legally work in Canada yet, I am able to travel there because Solange is Canadian and she is my spouse.
We’re betting heavily that my visa will be processed during the time we are in Canada, which is why we are bringing our 216 gallons worth of life along with us. If our bet is lost, then we will find ourselves in the same situation we are in now and heading south, like the birds, for the winter. So cross your fingers and hope that the powers that be (Canadian Immigration) get to process those visas that have been in limbo during the pandemic.
Every nook, crack and cranny will be filled with our things. The 2000 Subaru outback, although a loyal vehicle, can only hold so much. And not only do our belongings need to be packed, they also need to be accessible for the three days we live out of the car on our way to the border.
