That joy involves purging all sorts of garbage from my home.
Before I began packing (and mind you, I've only scratched the surface), I swore I was a pretty decent housekeeper. I prided myself in being the opposite-of-a-pack-rat, eagerly donating, recycling, or tossing things that we no longer needed. I cleaned out my closets regularly and even moved furniture to vacuum underneath it.
But then.
Then, I started packing.
And all of a sudden those cardboard berry trays that I'd saved from last summers raspberry harvest didn't quite make as much sense. All of a sudden, my viola from 5th grade that I've been lugging around for fifteen years really didn't fulfill any sort of purpose.
But the joy of discovering these treasures didn't stop there.
It also included:
Broken toys that "could have been fixed" but never were.
A DVD/VCR player (that works!) that we swore we would use again. Have a mentioned we don't own a television?
Two broken strollers.
CD cases from my favorite bands in middle school.
Scrapbooks stuffed with pictures of old boyfriends. Yikes.
Broken pipes, hoses, torn plastic, and smashed buckets.
Bags of empty baby food jars. For ya know, stuff. I swore I'd need them at some point.
A broken radio.
A hundred empty wine bottles.
A black leather jacket I'd been gifted (only problem is, this girl doesn't wear black leather).
Shall I go on?
I have already taken a huge load of goodies to the local Goodwill and a decent size load to the dump. We've recycled, sold, and donated what we can - but let's face it, some of the stuff was just plain old garbage.
You know what else was garbage? That extra five or six inches of hair I got cut off yesterday.
It feels fabulous! Who doesn't love a new haircut before the summer?!
But let's move on.
So I have approximately 5% of the house packed. I know, great progress, right? I can only imagine the great treasures that have yet to be revealed. After all, I still have under my bed to explore! And think about what's hiding behind the washer and dryer!
I have such supportive family and friends - all willing to come and help my pack things up. My only fear is that they'll come and be mortified by all the trash that it exposes! It's, literally, like airing your dirty laundry!
Ah, well. It's a good thing they love me.
Next week, I'll really hit it hard. Currently, my pace is about one box per day. At this rate, I'll be ready to move by 2015.
So if anyone is in need of a broken jogging stroller, ripped jeans, or retired vacuum, you know who to call.
Send help.
I can so relate to this post! Seven years ago we moved from our old house, which we had lived in for 10 years, to a new house in another state. I couldn't believe all the *crap* that had accumulated over the years. I am so not a pack rat but I had trouble even remembering what half of the stuff I had saved was for. The purge felt good. It took awhile (about a month) to pack up our house but it felt so good to get rid of stuff that was weighing us down. We started fresh when we moved here. Now we will be building another house in the next couple of years so I think I will start the purge now! Keep at it, you won't regret it!
ReplyDeletePost pics of your haircut!
ReplyDeleteHow many baby food jars do you have? Or did you already get rid of them? My friend might need them for a project at her work.
ReplyDeleteWe move every 3-4 years, and I will tell you that EVERY time we go through and rid ourselves of junk and still find more the next time. It is normal to find all that when you are moving. In fact I think that is why moving is nice, because it forces us to search through our things and decide what we do or don't want to move. Good luck with your move!
ReplyDeleteWe moved from where we had lived 23 years. Now four years later,I'm still throwing things out that we moved with us. I keep asking myself 'WHY did I move this instead of throwing it out?' Continuing the purge...
ReplyDelete