Several of my “friends” have called me their transient friend since the news of our pending move. Hearing this from those who have lived within a 20 mile radius their entire lives, doesn’t surprise me. Hearing this comment from a globetrotting friend made me take pause and question what was actually being said. I had to look up “transient” to confirm the definition as my initial response to the word is derogatory as a drifter, or homeless.
Transient:
1
a: passing especially quickly into and out of existence : transitory <transient beauty>
b: passing through or by a place with only a brief stay or sojourn <transient visitors>
2
: affecting something or producing results beyond itself
“Brief stay” is what dubbing me transient. “Brief” is subjective. For me, brief is a day, a week, or a month. For others, our six years in this community is brief. What does brief mean to you?
Transient may not be the best word choice, but I have moved quite a bit. The move to Spokane will be my 40th move. My 45th birthday is in September. No, I haven’t moved nearly every year of my life. I have had the pleasure of moving multiple times in a single year to rack up the count. My moves define my life. I have lived in 6 states, Washington will be the 7th. Fifteen of my moves were beyond my control while I was dependent on my mom. Four moves during the college years. Eight moves before I realized I was in a really bad relationship before I, well, moved out. Four moves as a single mom. And eleven moves in the 16 years my husband and I have been together. Some of my moves were transient, to be sure. In 2001, while our house was in escrow in Parks, AZ, we moved to the apartment my husband’s company provided in Tusayan, AZ, at the gates of the Grand Canyon. Sixty days we lived at the Grand Canyon. Our daughter became a Junior Ranger and we hiked and explored every day. I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything. In fact, I wouldn’t change most of my moves as they, for the most part, have all been for the better. There are some moves that I’m not so thrilled with, but they have shaped my character and made me who I am. Transient or not.
Here is a list of the places I’ve lived:
1. Monroe, MI
2. Sandusky, OH
3. Castalia, OH
4. Sandusky, OH
5. Norwalk, OH
6. Driggs, ID (Teton Valley)
7. Santa Monica, CA (1)
8. Santa Monica, CA (2)
9. Torrance, CA (1)
10. Torrance, CA (2)
11. Playa del Rey, CA (1)
12. Playa del Rey, CA (2)
13. San Diego, CA
14. Playa del Rey, CA (3)
15. Santa Monica, CA (3)
16. Long Beach, CA
17. Playa del Rey, CA (4)
18. Westchester, CA
19. Hermosa Beach, CA (1)
20. Redondo Beach, CA (1)
21. San Pedro, CA
22. Venice, CA
23. Hawthorne, CA
24. Redondo Beach (2)
25. Manhattan Beach, CA
26. Hermosa Beach, CA (2)
27. Oceanside, CA (1)
28. Westchester, CA (2)
29. Redondo Beach, CA (3)
30. Redondo Beach, CA (4)
31. Placentia, CA (1)
32. Tusayan, AZ (The Grand Canyon)
33. Parks, AZ (1)
34. Las Vegas, NV
35. Laguna Beach, CA
36. Oceanside, CA (2)
37. Parks, AZ (2)
38. Placentia, CA (2)
39. Placentia, CA (3)
40. Spokane, WA
What is most interesting to us about our Spokane move is that Spokane has been selected by us, for us. Most of my other moves have been dictated by employment, the economy, or current situation. Spokane is a grown-up move. We have researched and selected Spokane based on everything it offers us as a family and each of us individually.
Is Spokane our end all? Who am I to say? Home is where my heart is, wherever that may be.
multi-hyphenated-me 