Sage Advice from a Fool:

Many of you know that recently I packed up my house, my family, and all of my worldly belongings and moved them from Pennsylvania to New England.

Many of you may also realize that much of New England has received, in the last week, mind you, more rain than it usually gets in three months. About now you are probably wondering what this poor attempt at a split-toned photograph has to do with any of this. Thanks for asking--I'll tell you.

Imagine, if you will, a U-Haul storage facility right in the middle of the above body of water. Imagine the water extends 30 feet on every side, nearly one foot in depth by the time you reach the base of the building. This scenario became a reality for me at about 9:00 a.m.

The good news is I *think* only three boxes were ruined. Unfortunately, I haven't fully assessed the damage yet, but I know I did lose a book that was a precious parting gift from my dear friend Paul. Deb lost some baby pictures which, of her, are already a rarity. Most of our stuff was in plastic storage bins, and it probably saved us a lot of heartache. Anyway, here's what I've learned, for any of you who are making a move:

1. Painful as moving can be, it is more painful to move from a house to a very small apartment.


2. If you must use a storage facility, make sure you use plastic bins instead of cardboard boxes.


3. If you must use cardboard boxes, set them on top of plastic bins


4. It may seem like a pain in the ass at the time, but consider using the storage units on the second floor.


5. You might think the insurance isn't worth the money. In most cases, you'd be right. If the worst rain in 50 years comes two months after you move, you'd be wrong.


6. After two hours of moving in ankle-deep, very cold water, you'll eventually have to get back to your real job. When a co-worker hears you let out a *sigh*, it is unusually funny to hear them say something to the effect of "sounds like someone has a case of the 'MUN-DAYS.'"

All in all, the floods have only washed away things. We have plenty of time to get more things, make more memories, and remember that the flood cannot wash away who we are, and what we make of this so-called life.