How Many Times Have You Moved?
Martin-Christopher Harper, a 32-year-old hairstylist, has moved more than 40 times during the 9 years he’s spent in New York City. According to the New York Times: When he lists the neighborhoods he has lived in — in chronological order — he sounds like a bartender reciting a long list of microbrews: “Brooklyn, Chelsea Hotel…
Martin-Christopher Harper, a 32-year-old hairstylist, has moved more than 40 times during the 9 years he’s spent in New York City. According to the New York Times:
When he lists the neighborhoods he has lived in — in chronological order — he sounds like a bartender reciting a long list of microbrews: “Brooklyn, Chelsea Hotel for a moment, Bronx, Carroll Gardens, Crown Heights, Red Hook, Carroll Gardens, Greenpoint, Chelsea, Crown Heights, Carroll Gardens, Williamsburg, Bushwick, Bed-Stuy, Williamsburg, East Williamsburg…”
The article discusses the psychological problems of the constant mover, noting that Harper has been “tackling the issue in therapy.” Sure, 40 moves in 9 years is extreme, but we know plenty of mentally-stable Brooklynites who’ve lived in a lot of apartments in search of the perfect place. Does anybody come close to this guy’s moving history?
The Psychology of Moving [NY Times]
Photo from prettyjjbean.
I’m a nester- I don’t like to move- although I’ve done my fir share- but somehow I also love the feeling of a fresh start that you get in a new place. Hopefully the next move will be to a beautiful old town upstate (even though my brother keeps pressuring me to move near them in Florida- ack!)
I suggest MM train her kitties to pull the wheelchair like carriage horses. That way I can hold her camera bag when she goes out photographing material for her column.
The NYTimes is nothing if not inconsistent.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/28/business/28corner.html?ref=business
“Q. Talk about how you hire.
A. You have to have people in an organization who are willing to truly embrace change, because if they don’t, then what you have is an organization that’s constantly fighting to stay at the status quo. And, of course, that leads to stagnation. It’s also an unsustainable model.
I’ve made an observation about people. There are people who have moved. Take somebody who’s a child of an Army officer — they will have moved 10 times in their lives. And then there are people who’ve been born and raised and educated and employed in one town their whole lives. Who do you think is willing to change? I think, in this modern world, you really have to be sure that your work force has the experience of being elsewhere. That experience then has the ability to ensure that you will be comfortable with change.
The biggest problems I see in a group of people who don’t embrace change is that they will always fight anything new, any new idea, any new concept, any outside point of view. And, of course, there are many examples of companies that have failed because of that. So I think that’s a critical point. Almost all of the people on our staff have traveled all around the world, have lived everywhere.”
as a kid we moved every 3 years or so. (when the rent went up). then we settled in in the projects where the rent was basically nothing. (35 bux a month for a nice newish 2 bedroom apartment in the 90s.) and yes i said 35 bux a month. of course we were basically scamming the system, but whatever. my grandmother moved down to south carolina with her son’s baby momma only to have made a horrible mistake giving up her 2 bedroom apartment. of course she didnt need to bedrooms, and i recall myself ranting about that lady in the projects who lives alone with 2 bedrooms from that nytimes article a while back..
when i moved from morningside heights to harlem proper i got really depressed about my living situation.
as much as people hate rent control and rent stabalization, it does provide a sense of security for renters.
*rob*
If I live in Bklyn the rest of my life, I’ll be in Crown Heights, Dave. Besides, I’ve never had any interest in any part of Florida, whatsoever. Blech!
My Walkabouts may become Wheelabouts in the future, no doubt there.
I don’t see myself here forever.
Posted by: Montrose Morris at March 1, 2010 10:54 AM
A Walkabout in Ft. Lauderdale will be far less interesting!!!
Mr. Harper has issues. After appearing in the New York Times airing his issues, he may find it harder to move, unless he finds places that are on a month to month basis. But he really is not the norm. I think more people find moving a difficult experience, to be had only when you are definitely moving to something better, by choice. I guess if you don’t have any emotional ties to a place, that makes it a lot easier, it’s like changing hotels. But if you make an apartment or a house your home, and invest your heart and soul into making it what you need it to be, that will be much harder. Not including college, I’ve only moved 4 times in my entire life, one of them being a child with no say in the matter. I guess I’m a stayer. I do confess to ideally making one more move before the final one. I don’t see myself here forever.
dave there is a huge difference in your experience with moving than a vast majority of other people. that being, you have MONEY. the more money you have the less stressful moving is.
*rob*
ha! i read this article. it was kind of spot on. i really hate moving and im always terrified about where im gonna wind up next hahah. for a lot of people moving is a very very psychological thing and mad stressful.
*rob*
um no, my next move is into an urn.