Moving Time! Here's How to Make the Most of the Last Week
by Julie Provost - August 9th, 2022
Your time at this duty station is coming to an end; it's the last week before you move. The place you have called home for the last few years will soon become a memory.
It’s time to head to a new location, and whether you are excited about it or not, the countdown is on. Before you leave, you want to make the most of your last week in this place, with these friends. Here are some ideas for making the best of that time.
Hang out with your friends
Make sure to have one last hurrah with your friends, whether it be a night on the town, a lunch together, or one last play date. You will always remember those special people from each duty station, and it’s normal to want to spend as much time with them as you can.
Try not to dwell on the fact that you are leaving but on all the memories you have had in the time you have been friends. Your kids will appreciate spending that time with their friends, too.
Take pictures of your favorites
Take photos of your house, your friends, and your favorite locations. Make sure you are in some of them! You will enjoy these memories when you leave. You can make a scrapbook of your time there, put some photos in frames, or allow yourself a few minutes of scrolling after unpacking some boxes after your move.
Each place you live becomes part of you and makes you the person you are. Make it easy to remember the good times by taking these photos. If you have kids or pets, make sure you have some photos of them as well. They might be too young to remember living there, but through pictures, they can see what living there was like. It’s also fun to take photos of everyone's kids lined up, and then retake similar photos when you visit one another later.
Visit your favorite places
Spend that last week eating and visiting your favorite local spots. There are Applebee’s everywhere, but your new duty station is not going to have that locally owned coffee shop you used to visit every week. These places will stay in your memories, and you will want to enjoy them one last time.
Make sure to say goodbye
Saying goodbye is the hardest part of moving, but you should do it anyway. Say goodbye to the people you have met and those you will no longer see regularly; your neighbors, your child’s daycare worker, and the friends that you have made.
Connections are essential during military life, and taking the time to say goodbye can be a good way to close out your time at this duty station. Make a plan to keep in touch with the friends you've made. And remember, it's always possible to see them again in the future.
Take your time
Take some time to reflect on your experience at this duty station. Think about all the things you learned and all the opportunities you have had.
If you journal, now is a good time to write about how you are feeling about this duty station. Remember when you first arrived, and everything was new? How has your life changed since that first week?
Leaving means closing a significant chapter in your life and may bring up a lot of emotions. Be sensitive to that and know that no matter how badly you wanted to move somewhere else, there will always be a part of you that will miss this place.
Where are you headed next? Research housing, find fun things to do, and learn more about your next installation at PCSgrades.com.
Julie Provost is the freelance blogger behind Soldier’s Wife, Crazy Life. She enjoys life in Tennessee with her husband, a National Guard soldier, and their three boys. Julie enjoys blogging, reading, photography and a good cup of coffee. You can follow her on Twitter @SoldiersWifeCL.
