Some things pack a punch, some a wallop. Me, I pack boxes. Still packing away here… If I can only get rid of as much as I pack, I’ll be happy. I have been told I will take twice as much as I will use in our new place, and will do another round of purging. That seems silly, to pay for it all to be moved, and toss it later. So I am trying really hard to make good decisions. Sometimes, I just poke it in a box if I can’t decide. This is bad.

Also I am trying to pack things to give other people. Making those decisions is difficult too. People attach sentiment to things without an obvious reason. I want to preserve some good memories for my kids, but what is it they remember fondly? Unless I can show it to them, (not possible when sorting 30,000 things), I have to guess. Inevitably, I will be wrong. I hope that they can hold onto memories of things we did, and places we went. And not attach too much importance to things we had.

Although we have had 2 scheduled pickups by Purple Heart already, I gathered 12 boxes of glass, china, silk flowers and mosaics today, and took them to the ReUse center. I can tell you, it feels good! I felt pounds lighter as I drove away. For many years I decorated for each holiday, or season. Of course, by adding to the whole every year, there were way too many to put out each time. So I set aside a few things my kids might remember fondly, and boxed up the rest. And I took them to a local recycling center, so they will not end up in a landfill. I feel a little better knowing that someone will like them for the same reason I did. Or, even better, use them in a crazy, wonderful art project.

It was hard to send off some of my stuff. I dithered for minutes over a couple things. But I can see a way forward, to a different aesthetic in the future. Sometimes sentiment ties you down, and limits your re-creation.