It is said that the only constant in life is change. This has been a lesson to me over the last number of years because as I search for constant, stress free living, change always seems to come my way and I am not comfortable with it all the time. Sometimes I just have to deal with it. I have favorite shirts, shorts, ski outfits, cycling attire, socks, trails, slopes,and food. These things I can control to a degree, but life in general has change and patience is not one of my strong suits.
Take moving for instance.
My mother in law moved in with us recently and that has been a positive experience but the caveat was that we needed to move in order to provide a nice, comfortable living space for her with her own bathroom, bedroom, etc. Sharing a bathroom with our 21 year old son was not optimal when one is used to coming from a nice house and 40 year old style of comfortable living. I resisted at first. I don’t like change. I liked my house and my fireplace. 
I didn’t want to move because I know all the hassle of moving. Packing and unpacking, changing addresses, changing information, banks, real estate paperwork, etc, etc. Moving is painful.. I have personally moved so many people in my day that I can’t even count. I remember the brutal moves. Moving my wife’s friend on January 1st in the freezing rain. The first box out of the house I slipped and sprained my ankle. Hobbling for the rest of the move, my ankle looked like a basketball. I jammed it into a ski boot the next day but that is another story.
I moved my sister in and out of school, to NYC, to Maryland, to N.J. I moved my parents numerous times but all of this aggravation was due to the fact that I had a strong back and a weak mind. I was always there for the physical labor of it all. But now in my older years, I protect my strong back. So, we found a place right around the corner that has more room, no maintenance because it is a carriage home, and a pool. The style of living has been an upgrade but the move was still a whirlwind of labor, trips to Goodwill, boxes, selling and buying a house on the same day, moving companies, U-Hauls, address changes, banks, real estate……….on and on and on!!!
I am amazed at how it all came into place. What seemed to be an insurmountable task, is now like I have lived there for 20 years. My wife and mother in law worked tirelessly to make it happen and my strong back and weak mind filled in the gaps. So I have learned a lesson here in the fourth quarter. Nothing is constant but the rewards of putting up with the hassle to make a better style of living is something that I had to recognize. My wife was right! She always makes the right decisions in spite of her curmudgeon husband who tries to control change. Sometimes things seem like they are impossible and will never come together. Moving is a prime example. But with experience, one realizes that if you take it one day at a time, have patience, and a willingness to change, things always seem to work out for the better. It is easy to become inflexible as we age. But the maintenance of a youthful outlook on life is important as we …………move on. Thanks for reading.
chroniclesofmccloskey 
Poor Pat, I’ll have to buy you a beer next time I am in town to ease your pain. All I can say that after moving my family successfully 14 times since I married in 1972—Tacoma, Montgomery, Alaska, Tacoma, Philippines, England (2), Germany, Turkey, Montgomery, Deatsville, Washington DC., Slapout, Bozeman—I am wondering what the issue is here. You just pack everything up, crate up the animals, throw away the useless stuff, payoff the utilities, and move then just reverse the process on arrival at the new home (except now you throw away the broken stuff). Good luck in the new home.
That was right on the money. Change is hard but worth it !
Pat, thanx for another great read and reminder to relax and take life’s challenges in stride, one day at a time. I only have two additional thoughts to share with you: First, you are not yet in the 4th quarter, and YOU, my friend, won’t be there until you turn 75. Second, and while I am certain you don’t want to hear this, I am invoking the “doctrine of unintended consequences” by telling you that I am now so impressed with your moving skills that you will be the FIRST friend I call when we make our next move!!
Good post 👌 I did root you out!😅😘
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Pat,
Great blog.
*Keep the Faith,*
*Rob Bohnenstengel *Community Care Pastor
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*From:* chroniclesofmccloskey [mailto:comment-reply@wordpress.com] *Sent:* Thursday, July 28, 2016 12:18 PM *To:* rbohnenstengel@orchardhillchurch.com *Subject:* [New post] Moving Mania
patmccloskey posted: “It is said that the only constant in life is change. This has been a lesson to me over the last number of years because as I search for constant, stress free living, change always seems to come my way and I am not comfortable with it all the time. Somet”
change is hard but it has a tendency to work out
No one hates change more than me, moving is the worst! I’m with ya on this one, sounds like a good move though, and glad it’s working out.
Pat! One of your all time best posts! Change is hard for us all! Your thoughts shed valuable insight to dealing with changes in life. Thanks for sharing some valuable information that will help me through changes here in the “fourth quarter” of life! Is there overtime too?
Change is hard because it is not always an improvement. We changed suitcases to add wheels and that change was an improvement while we changed some food by mixing in additives to make them fat free and now that change turns out to be a bad thing. I get your hesitation because change does not always turn out for the better. So glad it turned out for the best. More importantly, you and Janet are making changes to do the right thing by moving your mom in law into your daily lives and that is BIG! You always were the best guy around and you keep proving it over and over. By the way, living with a person over 80, makes you feel young!