This weekend we moved home, from Amersfoort (NL) to Gillingham (UK). Moving house always brings out the truth that the cosmos tends to fall into chaos. Packing results in a mess of boxes and things, not just in the house but also in my head. During the last week, I almost missed the train three times, something that normally never happens. Like every time we move, we overestimated the capacity of the trailer, so we could not take all the stuff that was packed to go. But in this respect we agree with Gandhi:
… a man who is poor will continually examine himself and find out what are the superfluous things he keeps for himself, and, if you conduct yourself in a sportsmanlike spirit from day to day, you will be astounded at the fewness of things you require.
(with which I do not intend to call ourselves ‘poor’)
When arriving at the new house, the chaos got worse. Geert had come with us so he could take the car back to Holland. That also meant a welcome extra pair of hands. The house is a bit further from the university and the centre than where we lived in 2012. But all of it can be reached easily by bike. In our terms it is an enormous house, with 3 rooms (living, bed and dining), kitchen and bathroom.
It actually has too many doors and windows, which had us constantly on alert to keep Ivan inside. Imagine the shock when Freddy walked out of the back door the first evening and in came the cat. Today I just put on his collar with our details so we could open all the doors. After all, Ivans homeliness is stronger than our control over the house.
Meanwhile, Freddy has managed the nature in our garden with the lawn mower that comes with the house. And now, at the end of the weekend, I am typing in our well ordered living room. Only 2 boxes are still left unpacked. The clock stands on the radiator, but doesn’t tick any less gezellig for it. Freddy is making tea in the dining room. The chaos is subdued. For now.
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(Source quote from Gandhi: Mark Lindley, Gandhi on providence and greed)