homesweethome - part two

When you move around a lot you become an expert in some odd disciplines. Picking dentists for instance. I have become an expert at locating benign dentists around the world. I can point out the psychos almost instantaneously. They usually have TV screens overhead and take x-rays of your bite gear every other visit.

Over the years of moving from place to place, I have also developed a hawk eye for functional communities. They are the ones with sidewalks that lead to places such as parks, playgrounds, community centers, libraries, and shops.

Finding such a place to live in can mean real quality of life. Everything else from making friends and building up networks to finding that gentle dentist is a piece of cake after that.

However, settling into new places and getting used to its wheelings and dealings is not an easy task. You either get really good at it or you end up avoiding it by all means because it is rather time and energy consuming and it can be a killer for relationships.

Whichever way you take it, packing up the belongings of an entire family and moving them only to unwrap them in some unknown and most likely temporary place is not that much fun even when you are good at it.

Transitioning, as the first months are generally called, can be a real drain on everyone. In a way, every day starts again at zero.
It's a seemingly endless process of adjustments like a dog settling down on a flee ridden blanket.

But it is also exciting because all cards are on the table and it's your turn to pick and choose.