Not pictured: 4th bag.

I left Frankfurt with 4 bags of clothes (1 of only coats) and a yoga mat, not sure how I was going to manage.

But lately I’m not sure how I’m going to manage almost everything in my life.

So my strategy is to just start.

I arrived in Hamburg Thursday night, after what felt like packing and shutting down my summer home, leaving boxes and furniture to accumulate dust.

As the train pulled into the central station, I looked out at the glittering lights (mind you it was 4pm), and smiled.

My new city.

Something I’ve been honing in on lately is how my decisions make me feel.

Throughout this process, I’ve been trying to tap into my intuition more and more. While my usual plan of action is – just that – a logical plan based on pros/cons, mapped out, checked and re-checked, this time I’ve allowed myself to be less uptight, loosening my controlling grip.

I know the next few months will be an adjustment.

I know things will not go my way (day 2: bought expensive Ugg boots to keep my feet warm. day 3: car speeds through huge puddle, “breaking in” day 2 Ugg boots).

What keeps me grounded is knowing I’ve done this before, and everything worked out ok (maybe it’s the same as like having a second and third child?).

I remember when my parents left me in Baltimore after college graduation. My whole life, which included mainly a large CD collection and a wicker Pier 1 CD tower that was the centerpiece in my decor, fit in the back of my car.

I remember landing in Santa Monica, getting a rental car, going straight to work, checking in to my temp apartment that evening, putting my feet up, and feeling ants crawling up my leg. I think I cried.

I also remember that first weekend, lugging bags from Whole Foods, dropping my 6 pack of California craft beer on the concrete, and just falling down with them, sitting in the parking lot until I composed myself.

I remember when my flight landed in Frankfurt; I was picked up at the airport by my relocation agent, taken immediately to the state registration office, and was told I needed exact change – 2 Euro – for the photo machine.

There are way too many “I remembers” about Frankfurt to remember (Editor’s note: check the blog!).

And yet, when compared to the move to Frankfurt, this one seems much easier.

As I’ve done before, I’ll take it one muddy step at a time.