Sixteen years in one place seems like such a long time and yet it has flown by in an instant. What isn't happening in an instant is getting rid of all the things we have accumulated over that time in addition to what we brought to this house. I found a ribbon this weekend that I received in 1983 at a clogging jamboree. What?!!!!! First of all, if you don't know what clogging is, look it up (http://www.clogon.com/history-of-clogging/) Secondly, what the heck was I thinking when I packed that ribbon, moved that ribbon and stored that ribbon across 36 years and at least a dozen moves. I have been teasing (harrassing) my sentimental husband and children throughout this dowdsizing process, pridefully tossing my tennis trophies and anything else that isn't nailed down. And then I found the clogging ribbon and a myriad of other tidbits from the past that mocked my prideful attitude and reminded me to take it easy on my family as I organize us out of 2,600 square feet and into 430 square feet.
We have decided to keep a few pieces of furniture in storage because Lucy Pearl will likely have an apartment in the next couple of years. Hopefully she will be in a dorm next year and will need a few things for that as well. It seems counterproductive to sell stuff that we will need so soon. However, this means that the things that we are not sure about can now be added to said storage unit. I know it sounds crazy but with every box and bin that gets added to the storage pile I feel a little heavier and with every item that gets sold, given away or donated I feel lighter.
I'm reading the book of Luke right now and it just so happens that Jesus is talking to the rich young ruler about selling all his possessions and giving to the poor. He then says how hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God. I have no idea what this really means and I won't presume to interpret it; however, I do find it fascinating that at the exact time that I am struggling to let go of most of my worldly possessions I am reading Jesus' warnings about how they can trip us up.
Most of the furniture is not that hard to part with but dealing with hundreds of inquiries from people on the other side of the computer screen is time consuming and annoying. I think that some people have no real interest or need, they just like looking and asking, "Is this still available?" But some people are serious and show up in twenty minutes. I sold our old kitchen table that was covered in paint splotches and play dough for $50!! Twenty people asked about it. Another guy has already paid me for three book shelves that he won't come get for three more weeks. He doesn't even have our address yet but I have his money. We also delivered our old bedroom furniture to a lady this weekend. She was so nice and kept thanking us as if we were giving it to her. We also get to hear some of their story, which is fascinating. The couple that bought our truck had just returned from living on an island where the young man was in medical school. They had to return because of COVID and needed a vehicle. Pictured here is Jeff's favorite chair. It is a "Poang" chair from IKEA. I have hated it for years. Guess what was the first thing to go......
The family that bought our old camper was finally able to arrange for it to be transported this past weekend. Jeff and I went out to his dad's house where it was temporarily stored (thanks Mo!) and got it ready. The long-haul driver showed up, hooked it up to his truck and off he went.
I snapped these pictures as he drove away to send to the new owners. Someone asked me if I was sad and without thought or pause I responded, "heck no, I'm thrilled. Why would I be sad? I already have a new one." This person thought that I should be sad because of all the memories we have made in the camper that was rolling away to it's new family. But I let them know that it was the people I made the memories with that mattered and thankfully, I still have them. As I reflected later on this conversation I realized that I really did mean that. Maybe if I did not already have the new RV or if one of my loved ones from those memories was no longer with us then the sight of that camper leaving would have been harder. I can see how the stuff starts to represent the memory. We are built for relationship and it is easy for our stuff to remind us of those relationships and become a representation of what was good about it. Like that silly clogging ribbon. That ribbon represented a really good time from my childhood. My mom, dad and younger sister all learned to clog and we went to clogging class together. We also travelled to different events together, including that jamboree. These are the interesting and thought-provoking realizations I am having these days as I sift through decades-worth of stuff. I also have so much more sympathy for my seventy-something year old parents who did this last year when they sold my childhood home after over forty years and moved into a townhouse. Sorry I wasn't more sympathetic mom!!!
So I will continue to pack up things for the storage unit, despite how frustrating it is to run the numbers and realize that for the cost of storage we could probably replace all of it in a few years. As badly as I want to be wise and spiritually mature enough to walk away from every single worldly possession and give all the money to the poor, the very first item that was added to the storage list is my Kitchen Aid stand mixer. If it weren't so heavy it would go with us. #dowdsizing #kitchenaid #letitgo #storageunit #FulltimeRVing
Oh I forgot to mention - the Corvette did sell. While this is very good news and another step in the right direction, it breaks my heart for Jeff. He waited a very long time to get that car and he had very little time to do all the things he dreamed of doing to it. He admitted later that day that he shed a little tear when the new owner drove off. Poor guy.
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