At Points North, We Like to Move it Move it (Part One)

During our weekly all-hands meeting (which are light-hearted, and have the right mix of staying on topic while also welcoming tangents), the team learned that each of us had experienced a move, or moves, recently that had impacted us in a profound way.

In retrospect, it is those periods of shift during our lives that have made us who we are, and have made all the difference in our lives. I invite you to read about the journey for each of us, and learn more about what makes the team at Points North unique.

Naomi Oriol, Account Manager

Last month, I moved from NY to TN. The idea began earlier this year when my husband called out the obvious – neither of us was particularly happy with our lives in NY. We had just brought a house the year before, but we found ourselves working tirelessly during the week, and too tired to really enjoy the weekend. We also had two young children. 

Why did you make this move?

• We dreamt of a better quality of life, a slower pace, and lower cost of living. Our home in NY was removed from the city; a little too far removed. Because of that, we didn’t have much of a social life. We also wanted to put our kids in a better school system.

What is a piece of advice you would give to someone who is about to make or considering a move?

• It sounds cliche, but it really is never too late to change. Even if you feel like you’d be giving up everything, sometimes that’s the cost. I also found it easier to focus on the next step I have to take, instead of trying to focus on the entire journey.

If you had moments of doubt, can you share how to overcome them?

• I just kept telling myself that the obstacle is the way.

What advice would you give to someone who is about to land in a new location?

• Don’t rush the process, and to really enjoy this period of your life that you’re in. Everything doesn’t have to be perfect or settled before you can breathe. Breathe through the chaos or uncertainty. 

Has your move shifted your perspective or viewpoint on anything?

• You really can change your path if you want to. A tiny step in a different direction can eventually lead to a totally unexpected destination.

 

Elaine Ormonde-Hua, Client Success Director

We moved our stuff from the East Coast (lots of logistics to deal with since we were going out of the country and not going with our stuff) in July, flew to Spain for 7 weeks, then back to our new (old) home in San Francisco.

Why did you make this move?

• Our family is here, my husband’s job is here, and we were here before. There wasn’t really a reason to move back to NYC if most of our life is now CA-based and my job is permanently remote.

What is a piece of advice you would give to someone who is about to make or considering a move?

• Do your research when choosing a moving service to avoid “logistical challenges”!

If you had moments of doubt, can you share how to overcome them? 

• No real doubts, just a transition that the pandemic years have prepared us for. Otherwise, a move away from NYC would have been harder emotionally and mentally.

What advice would you give to someone who is about to land in a new location?

• Take walks. Find high-quality coffee shops (important to my daily life) in walking distance with outdoor seating for occasional working. Hire movers if you can (we didn’t because of how we moved). Say yes to help. We didn’t ask my sister-in-law to help us move but they offered and we are eternally grateful. What would have taken the 2 of us two aggravating days (on 2.5 hours of sleep for me — jet lag!), took us about 5 hours with the 4 extra sets of hands. 

Has your move shifted your perspective or viewpoint on anything?

• It’s a new opportunity, not just a return to the past. The neighborhood has changed so it’s an opportunity to explore and change how we live here—this wouldn’t have happened if we never left. We view things differently from our recent experiences (we’ll do more outdoorsy things like hike and bike long distances, not just for commuting).

Laura Byrd, Graphic Designer

When I was growing up we moved across the state, and I moved about 300 miles away for college.

Why did you make this move?

• My dad got a job transfer and thought there would be more opportunities for us elsewhere. 

What is a piece of advice you would give to someone who is about to make or considering a move?

• Oh my goodness, when you’re young and not used to moving it can be devastating. We had a landline with a special long-distance plan that we could use on Sundays to call friends after 7 pm lol. However, my dad told us that as a family we’d re-evaluate in a year and if we decided as a whole we wanted to move back we would. As time passed, we settled in and stayed. The biggest struggle was adjusting to the culture. I went from living in a rural town of 1,000 to a city suburb with 400 kids just in my grade alone. But within those 400 kids, I found a group of people I still consider to be some of my best friends.
• Moving for college was interesting because it was a clean slate. I went to a school no one else from my high school was attending so it was fun to meet brand new people, not people I’d already heard of. I also grew as a person because if something needed to be done i.e. checking my oil before I road tripped home, it was up to me to do it…or…if it had iced and then snowed 18+ inches and my car was LITERALLY stuck to the ground, I got to figure that out too. That’s a ridiculous thing that really did happen, but it’s also not something you prepare for. #ownit

If you had moments of doubt, can you share how to overcome them?

• I’m a “bottler” as my mom calls it, meaning I keep all my emotions inside, but it’s something I’m working on. My family moved a couple weeks before Halloween and that year I chose to dress as “Scream”. This instantly tipped my parents off because I’d typically choose costumes I could make myself that were fun and lighthearted, but that year I wanted to hide. After we got back from trick-or-treating I had a breakdown and told my parents how unhappy I was and how much I hated our new town. As I said above, I voted to stay at the year mark so I adjusted, just slowly. I got involved in extracurriculars and had a fantastic homeroom teacher that placed me with people he thought I would connect with.

What advice would you give to someone who is about to land in a new location?

• Pack an overnight bag outside of your moving boxes!! But seriously. I would say, all in all, be open to new things. New ways of thinking, ways of living, and look for ways to get involved. 

Has your move shifted your perspective or viewpoint on anything?

• Looking back on my family move and now that I’m a parent, I can understand why my parents decided to move us. It wasn’t to ruin our lives (even though it felt like it at the time), but because they wanted the best for us. I also think that the move along with a few other life experiences has made me hyper-aware of my daughter’s feelings and I want to encourage her to express them. She isn’t talking yet, but she still says a lot 🙂
• My college move definitely opened my eyes to other ways of life. It was really the first time I’d met people who had vastly different moral and political beliefs than myself, and I found it so intriguing. Some of my favorite conversations (where I learned SO much) were when I was in the art studios talking to friends as we worked alongside each other just asking questions and responding without judgment; why we believed this or that, how we were brought up, etc. It was awesome. It didn’t matter if they were from different parts of the state or a different part of the world, those conversations had a lot of value.

 

Stay tuned for Part Two of this series on moving.