Moving – it’s both exciting and an anxiety driver!
We don’t have a close date for our new house and haven’t yet listed this one but we’ve started the arduous process of sorting and packing ~ because you have to start somewhere. And in a 4 level 4 Br house with plenty of closet space guess what happens in 15 years? You fill those closets and drawers. And when you start to pack you find things that make you question why you saved what you did.
Like our ideal rooms, Hubbs and my ideas of what stays and what goes can differ. He casually commented on my many books – “not negotiable” is what he heard in reply. He smiled in understanding and because he knows when not to push further.
There are things we can toss — he still had manuals to cars we no longer own. 5-year-old receipts. Small appliances or other items that don’t work. Shoes that don’t fit. Clothing purchased by price point. All gone.
We found other items we can’t part with – handmade artwork featuring toothless little grins. Baby clothes. Home videos. Pictures.
Then there are the gifts we’ve been given that were never used, supplies to gatherings we no longer host – serving trays and margarita glasses and party favors -all in the Goodwill pile. In fact, that pile is growing – and all of those useful items can bless someone else – silk plants, end tables, decorative vases, wall art, quilts, blankets, old printers, costume jewelry, throw pillows, Christmas stuff, clothes, shoes, purses and toys. And more.
You see when you buy a new-to-you house part of the magic that transpires is picturing yourself living there. You can dream out loud about colors and fabrics and textures and wish lists. I want color – lots and lots of it – a lovely purpley-blue for my bedroom, a deep carmelly brown for the living room, bookshelves and reading chairs, and splashes of my favorite color – cobalt – peppered throughout. He likes clean lines and less stuff, the high ceilings and open spaces. We agree on new appliances and cabinet pulls. Because the test we’ve been applying is this one:
Packing is tiring and hard work. It’s emotional and exhausting. But… it’s also liberating. Case in point: yesterday, down on my hands & knees with my face in books and CDs, I laughed at my “postponed decisions” (clutter) – and decided to gift someone else with my extensive Christmas music collection. Why? I have all the songs I love converted to Mp3s on my computer. And if that crashes I’ll download more. Whatever. Moving on.
We’ve got a long ways to go and a short time to get there … but we’ll tackle this as we always do: together. Laughing at what we find along the way and feeling good about what we let go.
~~ How about you? Got any moving tips? What’s the one item you’ve taken from home to home? What does your dream bedroom look like? ~~
