Yes, that perfectly describes my day yesterday. I was up to my ears in cardboard and cobwebs in the basement ALL day. And do you want to know something? It actually felt pretty good. Amazing huh? I had an encounter with cardboard and cobwebs last year too, and wrote about it here. That was a false start, but this time it is the real deal. Our house has been sold and we have a moving date to meet.
Once I got past the feelings of panic over this move and the mountain of "stuff" I have to sort through and pack, I started to feel a great sense of release and freedom about cleaning things out and downsizing. We road our bikes past the big opulent houses by the lake the other day and I realized that my spirit felt the same way as my body did as we road along. I looked at the big gardens and fancy lawn furniture and pools and I felt as if I was breezing away from all the things I had to dust, wash, paint, cut, weed, oil, trim, deadhead, and generally care for. It made me feel light and free.
This move to a much smaller house with almost no outside maintenance fills me with joy and freedom. I am loving the very thought of going to Riverwood this fall and not facing hours of work getting the house and garden ready to leave. Oh joy!
I have a mountain of work to do between now and moving day on August 29th, but I am finding joy in the anticipation of what I am going to instead of sorrow at what I am leaving behind. I am even enjoying sorting through my "stuff". With each box I send to the Goodwill, I feel like I am giving my girls a gift because I am doing this instead of leaving it for them to do without me one day. You can read about my Pack Rat tendencies here. This sorting and cleaning really needs to happen.
I have really enjoyed this free morning to read blogs and write a bit in the middle of this huge task before me. What a treat. I ran out of boxes yesterday afternoon and the car was in the shop, so we couldn't go get more. We thought we might go out for a bike ride but the sky opened up and rain poured down on us, so a glorious free morning stretched out in front of me like a gift to be unwrapped. I have enjoyed peeling back each piece of tape and ripping off the paper. Alas, it is now almost noon, the car is back from the shop and the day marches forward, so I must put this gift aside and get back to work.
I will write again on the next rainy day.
Talk to you all later.
Do you think the grass is growing so wild and thick for its own life? Do you think the cutting is the ending, and not, also, a beginning?
Mary Oliver
What joy that each ending is also a new beginning.
3 comments:
Nice! I've been feeling like I could use a move soon too - to force myself to de-clutter! I'm a pack-rat too, but after awhile of giving in to those tendencies, I always feel huge relief when I finally free myself from excess stuff.
We were at the lake today, and though I had small twinges of envy for those people who can afford cabins, mostly I felt like you do - that I'm really happy that I don't feel a need to fill my life with more material goods.
Cuppa, we live in a townhome and while we wish we had a yard for Mr. Personality, we enjoy the fact that we don't have much yard work!
When we moved into this house, it was 123 degrees F in the shade. I had an inflatable cast on my left ankle.
That's probably one of the main reasons we've been here more than 15 years, coming was too traumatic, so I'm hiding from doing it again.
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