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the stress of moving

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-seven years and one million words

I have this coworker named Juriy (that's Yuri to English speakers). He's from Ukraine. I told him that I had, until recently, been concerned about my oddly wobbly health of late. But I'd decided it was from the stress of moving and starting a new job at the same time.

He told me that in Ukraine, there's an expression that goes, "A move is worth two fires."

I asked him, "Do you have a lot of house fires in Ukraine?" He told me no, that it was designed to highlight the stress of moving. I nodded wisely, understanding at last. Clever Ukrainians.

This is my 14th home. I hope I can stay put for a change.

Note from 2023: I wouldn't stay put, and I wouldn't keep the job for that matter.