We are almost all packed up. And by all, I mean everything we own. All packed up in 48 cubic feet. The space in the back of our car. The process required several months of decisions about what to keep and what to toss. And, notably, as the days passed, it became easier and easier to let things go.
Predictably, I have packed more art supplies than anything else. But there were a few surprises... I am ashamed to admit that I found at least six bottles and tubes of body lotion, and 16 tubes of lipstick. (I pared these down to one and four.) I got rid of two-thirds of my shoes, and even tossed my favorite one that I had been holding on to for a few years in case I found its partner.
I now own three dresses. And they all fit. (Okay, two of them fit, but I really like the third one and I haven't given up hope...) I kept three scarves and one pair of gloves. And I have seven of my favorite shirts in seven different colors, and seven pairs of pants and leggings. Fewer colors.
My sordid secret is that I almost never wear socks. The upside to this is that I only have four pairs. I kept them all. I have a bin of books. Most of them have a few pages missing because I have used them to make art. I have one small Kaboodle of make-up. And an even smaller box of jewelry. I have very few hair products and no curling or straightening devices. My hair dryer is near death, so it will not be making the cut...
I am thrilled to be taking two coats, one sweater, and two hoodies, knowing that I will have the opportunity to wear them more often.
We sold our washer and dryer a couple of days ago, so now we are only wearing clothes we don't like, so we can get rid of them instead of laundering them. (Please keep this in mind if you happen to run into us during the next couple of days...)
"Be able to meet any deadline, even if your work is done less well than it would be if you had all the time you would have preferred."-- Marilyn vos Savant
Our personal keepsakes all fit into the box that my favorite backpack came in. The box, from my Badass Backpack, is also a personal keepsake. As is my backpack. And my Stanley pencil. (I will be using it to write, old school style, to my friend, Paula.)
David has packed his favorite football plaque (Most Valuable Defensive Player in the district championship game against Lancaster) and I have my Teacher of the Year award.
We are taking one laptop, two kindles, three cell phones, and three blank journals. One of the phones is no longer really functional, but it has over 1,000 photos on it that I might, or might not, choose to download later.
I will close today with one last quote from Marilyn vos Savant, and mention that while I don't always agree with everything she says, I like reading and evaluating her ideas:
"The length of your education is less important than its breadth, and the length of your life is less important than its depth."--Marilyn vos Savant