What will you miss when you move?

Ah, moving. A fresh start. Goodbye, stupid internet company that keeps raising the prices! See ya later, annoying grocery store where I can never find what I need!

It’s the ultimate cleanse to move to a new country. You shed belongings, relationships, even weather. There’s stuff you CANNOT WAIT to get away from. But, of course, there’s stuff you wish you could bring with you. And sometimes it surprises you - the things you miss the most, or maybe the things you thought you’d miss but that never cross your mind again.

When we moved from Vermont to London in 2012, my husband and I made our list:

Goodbye:
Vanity plates
Trucks
TV commercials
Strip malls
Complete lack of culinary diversity
Shock jocks
Small town living
Americans
American politics
Hersheys

Miss list:
Craft beers
Good coffee
Burgers cooked to temp
Buffalo wings
Good tequila
Cheap gas

I don’t think we made a list when we moved from London to Wisconsin in 2015. I’m guessing we were going to miss all the culture and beauty of London but not going to miss the crowds, costs or commutes.

Now, it’s time to make a new list.

What will I miss when we make this big move from Wisconsin to Warwickshire? What won’t I? Here’s what I’ve got so far:

I will miss:

• Our big house. We’ve got more space now than we’ll ever have again, I know that.

• Being able to drive. I’ll need to learn when we move to the UK. Ack!

• Understanding our finances. I’ve got our finances on lockdown here - I know exactly what’s going on. In the UK, I’ll have to come to grips with a whole different system for salaries and bills and bank accounts that I don’t get yet.

• Understanding everything. Same with finances, I’m on auto-pilot for everything else too. The store, the plumber, the Chinese takeout - I know who to call, where to go, what to do. I’m going to need to humble myself and embrace looking dumb and not knowing what I’m doing.

I won’t miss:

• The traffic. We live by a busy road with speeding, inconsiderate drivers that drive me bananas.

• The city. We are in a ho-hum Midwest city that we don’t love. I’m ready to move on and find somewhere we can really make home.

• Trying to find things to do. See above, our town does not have great options for family activities. Like, no, I do not need to go to the Children’s Museum again.

• The politics. I’m so excited to be able to disconnect from the toxic politics in the US. (I know the UK isn’t perfect, but still.)

Here’s what I’m looking forward to:

• Food quality. I’d love to feel more confident in what we’re eating, that it’s healthy and sustainable. I’m also looking forward to fresh croissants at every grocery store.

• Outdoor lifestyle. I feel trapped inside for so much of the year. It’s either too hot, too cold, too much allergies, poor air quality, or some other reason why we can’t be outside. I would love to change that.

• Green living. I’d love to feel like we’re doing more for our world. Composting, recycling, public transportation and walking, local eating, electric vehicles, all that good stuff - I’d love to lean into it more effortlessly. (For example, I just ordered a drink the other day that came with two plastic straws. Why!?)

• Pub culture. It’s such a great way to hang out as a family and connect with the community, and it’s just not a thing you can get in the States.

• Europe. I hope we take advantage of being so close to Europe. It’ll be such a special opportunity for us and our kids that we obviously don’t have access to here in the Midwest.

I’ll probably look back at this list after we’ve moved and think I sound like an idiot, but that’s half the fun. Anticipating what your life will be like and how you’ll change - and then living the reality and watching it surprise you.

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