The “C” Word

If you follow our practice (ITGW) on Facebook, no doubt you’ve seen our big news: we moved. Moving (whether an office, an apartment or a house) tends to be a big deal with lots of details that need to be managed. What is often overlooked in a move is the sadness that one might feel.

Typically, moves are thought of as happy occasions–moving to a bigger space or to a new place for new opportunities. Even within these happy moments, it is important to acknowledge feelings of loss that might creep in. As we stood in our bare space last weekend, Nanci and I shared memories of finding that space. It is where we really set out on our own in independent practice, and it is where we build Integrative Therapy of Greater Washington. This is where our team formed and then grew.

For several years, Nanci and I knew that we needed more space to continue to do the work that we wanted to do. On and off again, we would look, with no potential office filling all of our needs. We would ask ourselves, “are we being too picky?” “Are we just afraid of making such a change?” We became really interested in an office in our office park about a year ago, but the finances for it didn’t make sense to go through and buy it. As we started our search again, we looked seriously at a space to rent, but were faced with sticker shock at the rent. Based upon this, we started to think about the possibility of buying a space.

As luck (and a good realtor) would have it, a space in our office park came on the market. Signing the contract to buy it was a huge step–it tied us both to the practice and to this geographical area (though we wanted to be here anyway). It was a big step and it felt far more permanent than renting. We were filled with doubts: “Can we make this work?” “Will it look the way we want?”

Taking that leap was huge and it enabled us to follow a dream that had started to germinate over ten years ago. And yet, back to that empty space, and the sadness we allowed ourselves to feel. Despite this exciting new beginning, we were aware of what we were leaving behind. We allowed the feelings of memory, nostalgia and loss to enter in and to cohabit amongst our feelings of excitement and anxiety.

Changes, no matter how good they might be, are hard. Navigating them allows us to grow.