Musings on Moving

Moving, you may be surprised to hear, is also like running. I had a good metaphor for how they were spiritually and philosophically linked, but I just finished building a piece of IKEA furniture and I’m tired so I’ll let you ruminate on that.

I just moved to Boston, started a new job, and shifted my running goals. Major life changes over here! I work a desk job now, I live in a proper city, and I am running on the roads training for a fast marathon. I am pretty confident when I say, anyone who has started a new job while moving to a new city in a place that has next no to street parking knows what it feels like to train for a marathon. It has been a massive and joyous effort.

Part of what makes moving, and running for that matter, a worthwhile exercise is the curiosity and possibility that come with it. You move to a new place, you start a new running regime, and you think, what can I achieve? How do I do that?! Why do I want that?! What is the meaning of life? What is consciousness? Why are we ever put on this earth? Where is the closest box of cookies to distract me from existential dread?

These changes in routine spark these existential thoughts because they force you to evaluate your life. What do I actually need or want to go into my tiny apartment? How will I organize my life to prioritize what I truly value? What am I willing to sacrifice to be the person I want to be? THESE ARE AMAZING THOUGHTS! I personally like to bookend these with slices of pizza or a waffle with enough whipped cream to suffocate a guinea pig.

Change and these thoughts are so necessary. Without change I tend to float satiated in a sea of sugar based daydreams, but with it my values, intentions, and goals crystalize. I am going to run a fast marathon in the spring. I am going to write every day. I am never going to stop coaching. I am so excited for what comes next!

I am not saying you should go around upending your life every week, but maybe embrace the change that does come your way. Hold on to those existential questions and ask them to yourself every once in a while. Then, chase after the answers the same way I chase down whoever ate the last Chewy Chips Ahoy chocolate chip cookie, with a vengeance.