Friday, September 28, 2007

Sunday Scribblings- Crossing Water


This week's Sunday Scribblings prompt is:

When in your life did you feel the most powerful? Was it childhood? College? Now? What is that feeling like; what does it mean? Do you have power over your own life, or are you not feeling that so much these days? If you don't want to get serious, you might imagine superhero powers, and what you would do with them.


At first I thought I would write about being pregnant with my daughters. Both times I felt incredibly powerful and special (look at me, I'm creating life here!). But in the end, I am going to go with the time I moved to Houston. At once terrifying and exhilarating, it was the point when I truly became a grown up. At 31, months after my first marriage ended in divorce, I left my island and all my family behind to move to Houston with my 2 year-old daughter. To be truthful, it's not like I was jumping without a safety net. I was coming here on a work relocation offer, to a job that paid more and had more responsibility.

I had some help moving here. All my moving expenses were paid, and the company even paid for an apartment hunting trip. I made arrangements online with a dealership in Houston to buy a car. The person I replaced shared with me the name of the Early Childhood Center her daughter attended. My parents kept Paula and took a flight to bring her to me two weeks after I had moved, so I could have time to get everything set up.

I moved into my apartment the day I arrived in Houston, on Friday March 31st, 2000. My stuff had arrived a few days earlier and the movers were set to bring it in the next day. So far so good, I was impressed by how smoothly things were going. The next day I got sick and was puking my brains out while the movers were bringing in my stuff. I do not know if it was something I ate or if it was my nerves playing some kind of April Fool's joke on me, but the next day I was OK.

My move to Houston was the single most empowering thing I have done. It changed my life. It forced me to truly rely on myself, to be the strong one. I would not have it any other way.

12 comments:

  1. What a touching post. My marriage did not work out and I have a three year old daughter and have been contemplating making a move away from where I live now to a new place just to start over. You have inspired me to really look at my life and what I can change it into just by starting over somewhere new.

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  2. I agree. I moved to Baltimore to go to school and I knew not one soul. I didn't know the city or any one in it. I think I grew up in that year....

    Great post.

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  3. I've said it before, it takes risk to be rewarded.

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  4. I moved alone to Hong Kong years ago and it was the best move I ever made. I really enjoyed your post.

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  5. Thoughtfull post. I am thinking of my own life where I only make the decisions taking care of myself.

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  6. i have always gotten the ultimate rush out of relocation,, recreation rebirth,,, it is a source of empowerment,, and i feel sorry for people that have never felt that definite rush......

    excellent post....

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  7. You are strong, powerful and blesed.
    thank you for a wonderful post.
    I made two major moves in my life, once takinga job in California and driving yself anf my 11 yr old daughetr from Denver to California.
    and in 2000 the year you went to Houston, I moved to Mexico.

    Godd work! You have siezed an opportunity for you and your daughter.

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  8. Beautiful post, Ingrid... the power to take control of our lives, the power to affect our destiny! At the crucial point where it made all the difference, you pulled together the strength within you to make this incredible decision and go forward with your lives. Well written... inspiring!!

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  9. I love that in both of the times you mentioned as being powerful (pregnancy and moving), you were also vulnerable in a way, embarking on something new and unknown. I wonder if feel powerful is tied to change, risk and vulnerability in my own life... Something to think about.

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  10. This is a wonderful example of power. I'm so happy to here that things worked out.

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  11. Self-initiated change seems to be a powerful event. I remember several moves that markedly increased my feeling of power. Nice post!

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  12. Good for you, having the faith and/or vision to "step out" and own your power.

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