Yesterday was a massive heart attack of emotions, stressors, and some smiles. If you haven't lived in a 60-story building in downtown Chicago, you may not have ever envisioned how the hell someone moves in and out of these places. First, one has to book the dock in the building. Getting on the schedule is akin to getting the best airfare on a Friday, booking within a week, to go from L.A. to NYC. You only get three hours of dock time. I've been in a couple of buildings. It's always the same. Three hours. Like the God of Docks has decreed that all people can move in three hours. Go figure.
My dock time was 12-3PM. At 130PM, I was on the phone for the third time with the Corrigan Movers, where an incredibly patient Chrystal said, "I don't see why you're worried. It's not a big move. They'll be fine." By 145PM, I was not fine. Chrystal was on the phone again, 'talking me down.' (You need to understand that at 3PM, the next person would be standing at the dock telling ME to get out of their God given time slot.)
A few minutes later three biker type guys showed up. Mike, Jaime, and Jeremy. Not only big, strong and looking like they could save the world,,,,,but also, soft spoken, kind and reassuring. "Hi, I'm Mike," said biker guy number one (who looked like a twin brother to a friend of mine named Mike who rides a Harley). He reached out and shook, or rather took, my hand, and I felt like I was going to prom! "Don't worry. Sorry we're late. I told the guys to get off Ohio (that's a main drag in downtown CHI). The traffic. Oh, god, the traffic. But don't worry."
I started to say something about not knowing how to pack up a glass table and Mike just took over with,"We've got it. Don't worry. We've got everything."
And that was that. From high stress to no stress. From, OMG, I'm out of packing tape to Mike, Jaime, and Jeremy who kind of walked above the ground, like ANGEL MOVERS, like Harley guys with wings, they swooped in and out. In 30-minutes, we were more than halfway done. I learned that like me, Jeremy and Jaime both lost their jobs a few months back. One is really in construction but doing this for now. Mike told me how they are doing back to back moves with no 'travel time' in between. No wonder they weren't here at noon. All three wanted to go with me to CA, I think. I asked Jeremy if he was an ex-Marine. He asked why. I said, "You and the guys, you're like super hero types. You look like the Special Forces." He was quiet. Sticking tags on the boxes. He looked up. "I used to be a boxer."
Of course.
We all used to be something else. Think about it. If we hadn't made dramatic changes in our lives, they were made for us. I went from crazy lady on the phone with Chrystal to, "Wow, look at these Zen movers."
Just then, I was sitting in the window seat taking my last look at all of the Emerald City. The Chicago River down below. A yellow water taxi zipping by. The historic river tour cruise going the other direction. The Tribune Building. Wrigley's clock. That Trump tower that has trumped the others around it. Beautiful but no character. Not like the old Morton Salt building that still has a bronze plaque with the umbrella girl on it. And Morton helped pay for Chicago's Art Institute, too. Wacker Drive winding below me. The Michigan Avenue bridge crossing the river. So much to say bye for now to.
I wanted to go down to the dock and give Mike a big hug. But things were moving fast. Dock time had run out. The guys were angel moving my mattress out and saying goodbye to me. Two gone. Only Jeremy still in my place. He said he hoped he'd get to CA someday. Handed me a bunch of paperwork. Before he left he said, "Don't worry. We'll take care of your stuff."
That's all we really want, isn't it. Someone to take care of our stuff. While we figure out other stuff.
At last, I started my drive west. I know the environment shouldn't match the moment when one is writing. Like dark nights of the soul shouldn't always be paired with dark storms outside. But the Emerald City was in my rear view mirror smiling a goodbye to me. And the sun was setting to the west, turning all red and golden. My stuff was in good hands. My life was in mine.
Moving on.
Marcia's advice for moving day:
Take a valium. Give it up. Give it over. It will get moved.
Marcia's 'listen to' song for today: Chicago by Sufjan Stevens. Also listen to, Come on! Feel the Illinoise! Sufjan Stevens is incredible, outstanding, amazing!
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