Friday, February 8, 2013

Out With the Old

Trey Smith


I sometimes do not think my wife and other family members realize how difficult this task of downsizing is for me. As an individual who becomes overly attached to objects -- a lot more so than people! -- I am jettisoning a great deal of my past. It's not that most this crap is that important; it's more that I can easily recall a past time or location through a scrap of paper, nick-knack or bauble.

I do feel good that we are lessening our carbon footprint. I understand that living light is good for the "soul" and it sure makes moving a lot easier. Having free space, instead of clutter, is good for the mind. I get all these things and it helps to mitigate the sense of loss.

But it is the dedicated and sometimes tedious culling process that gets me down. As I work my way around the house going through drawers, shelves, cabinets and boxes, I make 3 piles: 1) Donations, 2) Trash and 3) Keepers. Donations and trash probably have made up a minimum of 75% of what I've culled to this point. After finishing going through a particular box, it has not been uncommon for the keeper pile to be no more than 2 or 3 items!

I am making excellent progress. I am only a few days from having sorted through everything in the downstairs area. After that, I still need to attack the basement and the upstairs, though I work on the latter every night before going to bed.

I am working at this steady pace because, though it seems less and less likely, Della may call me one of these days to say she finally has found us a place to live in the Gorge. (There have been two occasions recently in which we thought we had something lined up only to have it mysteriously dematerialize.) If that call comes, I need to have our belongings ready to go in no more than 10 days time.

I am a bit worried that I will complete this project in the next 3 - 4 weeks and then I will have to continue living here until July. I will be living in a house gutted of memories and a good deal of the furniture with a lot of idle time on my hands and no transportation of my own. What will I do for 4 1/2 months?

2 comments:

  1. Do you live near any parks? I'm not sure if you'd enjoy this but I love taking long walks in or near woods.

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    1. I live on the edge of a forest! Walking, however, is not my friend. Between my ailing left hip and ongoing degeneration in my lower spine, I am hard-pressed to be able to walk more than a few hundred feet.

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