Zen and the Art of Moving: Part One

I am an educational nomad.

Since my first teaching job and our move to Alden, Iowa in 1972; we have moved and lived in 6 different towns in the next 37 years. Sometimes we even moved while living in a particular town; so the number of times we've actually moved is closer to 10. We are preparing to move again to Des Moines: our 7th town. You'd think with all of that experience, we'd have the art of moving down pat.

Any list of life's stressful events always has "moving" as one of those events that can add a lot of stress to your life. To try to counter that stress I've been reading different articles about Zen.

Some of the Zen articles talk about "decluttering" your life. Our Realtor was talking about decluttering also. "Decluttering" is realtor talk for you have "too much stuff". I have a feeling that Zen masters don't see decluttering to mean dragging things off the dresser and stuffing them into drawers. The back seats and trunks of our cars were filled with our "declutter" as we tried to make the house look like no one lived in it.

I know some of you have lived in basically the same house and town for most of your adult lives; but some of you have been even more extreme in your moving; bouncing from one side of the country to the other.

So any hints you have to help me survive this move will be appreciated.

The state of Iowa/marriage

If you live outside of the mid-west, or even if you live outside of Iowa, you may have a rather stereotypical view of our state. Corn, hogs, soybeans, farmers and all the images and beliefs that are associated with that view. Clearly parts of the stereotype are true, but last week an Iowa State Supreme Court ruling may force some people to adjust their image of Iowa and Iowans. The Iowa Supreme Court ruled that a ban on marriage between same sex partners is unconstitutional. I applaud the decision.

I have always had a problem with the argument that a marriage between two partners of the same sex was an "attack on marriage!" I've never felt that my marriage is in any way weakened by the reality that two people who are of the same sex may also be married. If two people love each other and wish to make a life-long commitment to share their lives, then they should be able to marry and enjoy the economic and civil privileges of that union. Not being able to do that, as a ban on same-sex marriage did, is clearly discriminatory.

I know some in Iowa who are threatened by this ruling, and they are beginning to argue that Iowans should be able to vote on the issue and amend the state constitution. One purpose of the rule of law, the constitution and our court system is to protect what Jefferson called "The tyranny of the majority". To think that a majority of voters could pass a law discriminating against a minority group, voting to take away their rights as citizens, is abhorrent.

I'm proud to live in Iowa and the leads it has taken in civil rights. Corn, hogs, and soybeans,yes; but also a belief in fairness and common sense.