True, some columns are simply more moving than others

In just a few, all too short weeks, I will be making a move from my present home at Hotchkiss Grove in Branford to a small condominium apartment in the same town. For someone who moved 13 times the first 10 years of married life and whose profession entails helping other seniors navigate the moving process, this should be “a piece of cake.”

But, somehow, it doesn’t seem like it. My daughter claims that my present state of upheaval is “poetic justice.” Maybe so, but I really think it is a learning opportunity, so I can be an even better moving adviser to others, having made such a major change myself so recently.

This particular move requires some drastic downsizing, which it is past time to do. With no relatives close by, that does mean getting rid of some cherished items that can’t be passed on to others in the family.

I know that I need to free up my life from what I don’t need and use in order to have the energy to do what is important. Sometimes we give too much importance to that which is impermanent, and having more than we need becomes a burden. I know I will feel much better once the move is accomplished ... it is just the process that can leave you feeling frazzled.

This is also the first move without my husband, Val, although his presence is certainly felt as I sort through the endless items and papers he accumulated and stored in the basement, some of it useful information on the care and feeding of our various appliances, which I will pass on to the next owner.

Other items, like ancient receipts, high school yearbooks and outdated “to-do” lists are of no value, but tug at the heartstrings of memory before being discarded.

Having helped design the Let’s Get Moving program for seniors at Pearce Plus Senior Services, I am especially fortunate to have had the advice and help of an outstanding Realtor, and I am also familiar with a roster of tried-and-true resources, from handymen to tag sale experts, who I can call upon.

One of the innovative, new items I will be using to move is called Jugglebox, which are green, re-usable, Earth-friendly sanitized plastic boxes that are delivered to your home or office before your move. You simply fill the boxes and move to your new location where you empty them, and then stack them out of the way for the company to pick up later. Popular in New York, they are new to Connecticut, come in two sizes, are inexpensive and handle and stack easily. (Contact Dan Dachelet at 877-584-4532 for more information.)

A major source of concern and unhappiness for me is that due to an unusual and to my mind, onerous, unfeeling “no pet” policy at the condo-apartment I am purchasing, my two beloved indoor cat companions will not be able to move with me. I am looking for good homes for Ginger, a talkative red-haired, female tabby not quite 5 years old, and shy little Chibi-chan, a quiet female chocolate Siamese who is 2½ years old. Adoptive parents for one or both, please contact me.

Contact Jean Cherni, certified senior adviser for Senior Living Solutions and Pearce Plus, a helpful, full-service program for seniors contemplating a move, at jeancherni@sbcglobal.net or 15 The Ponds at 101 Hotchkiss Grove, Branford 06405.

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