With all of the planning, scouting, and packing, moving as many times as we do might seem like a chore if you don’t understand why we do it. We have never regretted our decision to live as semi-nomads, but I’ll admit, there were aspects to the lifestyle we did not understand when we decided to live on the road and not to settle for long in one locale. For instance, when we left Houston it was clear we had to reduce our belongings. But that transition was easier than the social integration outsiders at new locations always suffer, especially for a couple of introverts like us who don’t always enjoy speaking to strangers about our lives.

But the meaningful insights have not come from logistical issues. The constantly changing environment has reinforced our disconnect from reality, and distilled our relationships because we have reevaluated ourselves at every new location — it has narrowed who we are by limiting our attachments.

Each move is a kind of rebirth, a reason to examine our personalities as we deliberately choose our new relationships and behaviors. I don’t believe we ever thought we would be as comfortable altering our lives so much. The substantial changes are evidence that none of it has any real meaning, anyway, so the effort and cost of relocation is nothing.