moving
Oh dear God. You would not believe the stuff I've gotten rid of. If there is goodness in eliminating crap from one's life, if there is karma to be gained from giving one's stuff to others, then my next life should rightfully be a better one. The bf sold his house after having it on the market for three years. We've both been indepedent home owners for many years. Consequently we have two of everything and three or four of some things, and it is not all going to fit into my humble little house. Not by a long shot. Mixers, for instance. He came in with an el-cheapo stand mixer, never used, still in the box. I said, "But I have a kitchenaid stand mixer...the best." He said, "Well, this one is small, it comes apart and can be a small hand mixer." "But I have a hand mixer, too." "Oh."
And that is just one, tiny, insignificant thing. We had tables, chairs, sofas, art, family photos, books, beds, blankets, dishes, towels, pans, coffee cups...double everything. Pack-ratted art supplies alone took up several closets, drawers, cabinets, and a lot of floor space. We sold, we threw out, we recylced, we gave to family, we carted off to Goodwill and Salvation Army, we anguished and tore at our hair. We even had that most loathesome of events, the Garage Sale, in a masochistic attempt to get rid of a lot of stuff quickly. The bf had to build himself a new barn for his work tools and supplies. Last Sunday, a beautiful Fall day if there ever was one, I spent the entire day cleaning out dirty, oily, bug-poopy crap from the corners of the garage. It was astounding, when I finished, to find that I actually have a two-car garage. The day before that, another beautiful day, or so I'm told, I spent the entire day underneath the kitchen counters. Who knew? Even after the garage sale passes and the quick once-throughs, I filled two large garbage bags full of totally unnecessary and un-reusable stuff, plus another large bag of stuff for Goodwill.
When I found six extra large boxes of barely used crayons and four plastic pencil boxes, I had to stop for a moment and do some self-analysis concerning how we cave to the wasteful idea that we have to go out and shop for new school supplies every year, even though last year's crayons were barely dented and last year's tupperware pencil box will long outlive us.
We have managed to fit almost everything in. I was a bit bummed when I realized I'd gotten a little carried away in the closet and given away one of my favorite black skirts, but I'll get over it. Our house now works like an intricate puzzle--each thing fits in one place and curses to the person who does not slot it back in correctly when they are finished using it. And there are still a few boxes of random strange things that we are hoping will just evaporate before we have to make any kind of decision about them. The upside is that I realize that one should probably DO this every fifteen years, as painful as it is--clean out closets, cabinets, drawers, attics, garages, eliminate *stuff*. Some people might even do this for no good reason except to stay on top of things, but I have a hard time imagining that lifestyle.
And the other upside? The emotional upside? The bf and I have made the leap to total and complete cojoined habitation, after many many years of something like relationship limbo. He seems happier. I am happier. Things feel more settled, warm and good.
And that is just one, tiny, insignificant thing. We had tables, chairs, sofas, art, family photos, books, beds, blankets, dishes, towels, pans, coffee cups...double everything. Pack-ratted art supplies alone took up several closets, drawers, cabinets, and a lot of floor space. We sold, we threw out, we recylced, we gave to family, we carted off to Goodwill and Salvation Army, we anguished and tore at our hair. We even had that most loathesome of events, the Garage Sale, in a masochistic attempt to get rid of a lot of stuff quickly. The bf had to build himself a new barn for his work tools and supplies. Last Sunday, a beautiful Fall day if there ever was one, I spent the entire day cleaning out dirty, oily, bug-poopy crap from the corners of the garage. It was astounding, when I finished, to find that I actually have a two-car garage. The day before that, another beautiful day, or so I'm told, I spent the entire day underneath the kitchen counters. Who knew? Even after the garage sale passes and the quick once-throughs, I filled two large garbage bags full of totally unnecessary and un-reusable stuff, plus another large bag of stuff for Goodwill.
When I found six extra large boxes of barely used crayons and four plastic pencil boxes, I had to stop for a moment and do some self-analysis concerning how we cave to the wasteful idea that we have to go out and shop for new school supplies every year, even though last year's crayons were barely dented and last year's tupperware pencil box will long outlive us.
We have managed to fit almost everything in. I was a bit bummed when I realized I'd gotten a little carried away in the closet and given away one of my favorite black skirts, but I'll get over it. Our house now works like an intricate puzzle--each thing fits in one place and curses to the person who does not slot it back in correctly when they are finished using it. And there are still a few boxes of random strange things that we are hoping will just evaporate before we have to make any kind of decision about them. The upside is that I realize that one should probably DO this every fifteen years, as painful as it is--clean out closets, cabinets, drawers, attics, garages, eliminate *stuff*. Some people might even do this for no good reason except to stay on top of things, but I have a hard time imagining that lifestyle.
And the other upside? The emotional upside? The bf and I have made the leap to total and complete cojoined habitation, after many many years of something like relationship limbo. He seems happier. I am happier. Things feel more settled, warm and good.
Comments
i'm feeling like a big fat crab today. hope i can pull out of it at some point.