A friend recently expressed out loud the thought that everyone hates moving. Moving is not convenient but often has to be done. It is sometimes welcome and exciting, but moving is never convenient.
I got to thinking further, and really moving is great these days! Compared to 200, 100 or even 50 years ago it’s so much easier now.
There has been many technological advancements; cartons, containers and packing materials have improved thousand-fold over the years! There is lots of information out there on how to approach it and many services you can hire for help with sorting, packing and transporting.
As I allowed my thinking thread to wander further back, I wondered how people transported things throughout time. As it turns out historically, people really didn’t move around much. What they had to move, they basically carried on their backs in skins, rough cloth pouches or bags. In cultures where there were no pack animals, women typically did most of the heavy carrying, to leave the men free to protect them as they went along. Dogs might have been harnessed to carry or drag things, and even as cultures became exposed to horses, they often continued to move things by dragging.
It is said that the Chinese invented the wheelbarrow, and this method of moving things was extremely useful, as even someone small could move heavy loads. Chaises were also designed on a wheelbarrow model, allowing people on foot holding only two long poles to pull others.
In the Middle Ages, Kings and Queens of England would often go on long treks called “progresses” throughout the kingdom, visiting lords and noblemen often for the purpose of ensuring their loyalty.. The royals’ entourage would include basically the contents of their entire castle, staff, animals and accoutrements, including bed linens, clothing, etc., all transported by cart and coach. The host nobles were expected not only to house, but also feed every person on the crew, and their animals. The royal guests themselves were privy to the highest treatment of all. It was not uncommon for the noblemen to be bankrupt after one of these extended visits, which were regarded as a burdensome “privilege.”
It wasn’t only hard on the noblemen. The cortege of maids, footmen, coachmen, and lesser attendants were responsible for making their majesties comfortable in any venue, for packing, cleaning, airing and repacking every item at each moving stage. Moving boxes were heavy, cumbersome wooden crates or trunks, bound around with metal, requiring heavy keys (which also needed to be managed). No one enjoyed these month-long sojourns except the royalty.
As time moved along and the wheel had been invented and there we covered wagons it began to get easier. Still you did not have packing boxes but were lugging around wooden crates and heavy trucks. There weren’t moving vans or even roads so I wonder how many china pieces were broken during a long trip. The decision to move was not made lightly that is for sure.
So the next time you have to move think about how much easier we have it than our ancestors did. It’s not going to make it any less inconvenient but does help to put things in perspective. Aren’t you happy you don’t have to suffer with outdated methods of transporting your belongings?
We at All Reasons Moving pride ourselves on keeping the latest equipment, a fleet of well-maintained trucks, and knowledgeable staff. The only similarity you will see is that you will be treated like royalty, and your move will occur seamlessly.