Notes from the Unsettled In-Between

We arrived in California with three suitcases and two animals in hand. The Airbnb where we stayed for the first ten days is perched on the side of a mountain and is difficult for newcomers to navigate, with a series of tight and narrow switchbacks requiring white-knuckled three-point turns and praying you don’t meet anyone coming the other way. But its downsides were made up for with a spectacular view of mountains and water and sky (as long as you ignored the freeway and urban sprawl in between). My initial jet lag meant I was awake to see several beautiful sunrises over the bay.

We have since moved into our small and cozy apartment, and after a long 15 days our moving truck showed up with all our belongings as well. The process of moving in has been a tedious one, and a week later we are still surrounded by unpacked boxes and items we no longer seem to have room for.

I keep waiting for the moment when it hits me: We are here; we live in California now. At first I thought I would feel it as soon as we got off the plane. When that happened and I felt just as unsettled, I thought I would feel it after we moved out of the Airbnb and into our own place. But the bar kept moving. I thought I would feel it after the moving truck arrived. Now I am aiming for once we get art hung on the walls; maybe then it will feel like we’re home. For now I am trying to embrace the newness and the uncertainty while we live in the unsettled in-between.