Wednesday, July 29, 2009

My Year of Hopefulness - A Sea of Brown Boxes

I'm writing to you tonight atop of a sea of brown boxes containing the tangible contents of my life. The sorting and packing processes are complete. Everything's taped up, awaiting the movers who arrive bright and early tomorrow morning at 9.

Because my new apartment's renovations won't be complete until mid-August, my belongings are headed for the world of storage for safe keeping. I'll be staying with friends with only two suitcases and a backpack. I still think I've overpacked for two weeks. (Do I really need those pink espadrilles for the next 14 days?)

To give myself some peace of mind, I started making an inventory of what's contained in each box - just a general overview - in the event that my things get misplaced during the move. Trouble is that I thought I could remember what they contained after I'd sealed them. Turns out I haven't the faintest idea of what's inside about half of them. Now this could be because it's nearly midnight and I'm tired. It could be because I'm in post-packer's coma, and more than slightly incoherent after a long, long day of packing, cleaning, and tossing.

It would be nice to use a logical excuse here to explain my forgetfulness. Truthfully, I know why I can't remember what's in half these boxes - because it doesn't matter. I'm not a "things" person. Why do I need 25 brown Home Depot boxes packed to the gills and sealed with duct tape? I don't - and even though I sent a lot of my belongings out to retirement, I still have much more than I thought I did. And much more than I actually need.

Too late now, though. Flatrate Moving will be ringing up my Amex card around 10am tomorrow for a larger amount than I ever imagined I'd pay for movers. My bed is calling me for one last rest within this apartment that has been an incubator of creativity and exploration for me these last two years. It's been a fun ride. New adventures in a new space are already calling me, and being a person who is unable to turn down adventure, I must answer them.

3 comments:

runner52 said...
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Anonymous said...

Moving makes you evaluate everything you have. I wonder WHY I have anything...and yet...I feel sentimental about some things (like my CD's from high school...)

Christa said...

So true Miriam! I don't think what I have amount to much monetary value, though the sentimental value of my things cannot be over-estimated.