“If you’re brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new hello.” -Paulo Coehlo

It is amazing to think that after over five years, this will be the final Berlin-based post before we move. It has been a pragmatic weekend packing final bits and pieces and we still have some to finish off. Moving is a strange combination of cleaning up and letting go and wondering if you should hang on to something rediscovered. We have been in this mode for a few weeks now and tend to retreat with the cats to the sofa in exhaustion. it will be great to see our furniture assembled properly and a sense of Feng Shui balance restored! Aside from the usual mass of bureaucracy when trying to leave a city/country, there is the countdown and how to manage that last week. Here are some tips.

  1. Get two cheap plates, glasses, cutlery and towels you can donate on the last day
  2. Use old bed linen you don’t mind throwing away or can use for final wrapping
  3. Put aside only the clothes that will be worn for the next five days and who cares if it is worn twice
  4. Donate food and wine – you are not going somewhere where neither is available!
  5. If you have time, donate books, clothes and other items to your local charities
  6. Don’t go to bed early the night before, it doesn’t work, go to bed at a normal time
  7. If like us you are traveling by car, prepare and buy food and drinks for the road
  8. Set up those online meetings for some final goodbyes – yes, it is strange but this is 2020
  9. Try to stay calm – we have a calming spray for the cats and it is possible we will be spraying it on us all!

Feng Shui Goodbyes

Feng Shui practice includes welcoming a new space with various methods. They can include using a Buddhist singing bowl or waving incense in each room to chase all negative energy and to welcome positive energy. The same can be done when you are leaving a place. Thank the apartment/house for all the good times and cleanse each room for the new habitant. It is all about good intentions and statements of appreciation that follow through to the next stage in our lives.