January 20th … 12:34 pm
The lobster has been pinching me lately … ever so gently, until this morning, when I got pinched – BIG TIME!
So, here I am – my loyal (few) followers … sharing with you the musings of my rambling mind on this snowy and cold day in Chicago.
Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about death. Not MINE … and that seems to be my problem. I don’t think about my own demise – but I should! Lately, I’ve been trying to urge my parents to pack up, purge, lighten up and move to something that is more suitable for their needs (which makes a whole helluva lot of sense at their age). I keep saying it would be nice for them to enjoy a new place while they can – before something happens (illness, accident, worse). I look around their home and there is STUFF everywhere. They are not hoarders by any means … the house is tidy, comfortable and well-appointed but it holds a lifetime of gathering. A book here, a trinket there, and well, after 85 years these things add up. And I think – what am I going to do with all THAT STUFF? (And even more so – what am I going to do with all that stuff while dealing with an emergent situation?!)
I am moving. I am hoping to be out of here and up enjoying the whales’ songs by August. My self-imposed time frame; it’ll give me enough time to (leisurely) pack up and get my ducks (or in this case whales) in a row. I’m moving for a variety of reasons but one of them is because of the taxes here. I don’t understand why anyone willingly lives in this town – the taxes are so offensively high and out of control! But, no matter where I go there will be at least some taxing – I know that. (And for that matter, no matter where I go there will be death – I know that, too.) Because, as Uncle Ben (Benjamin Franklin is my uncle for those of you unaware) stated, “The only things certain in life are death and taxes.”
So, while I can’t argue with that, I can add to that … that there is also – STUFF! The only things certain in life are death, taxes and stuff . (And well, there’s also change. But that’s for another posting!)
I look at my parents’ home and cringe at all their stuff. And slowly, over these past few weeks (as I’ve been putting away my holiday decorations) I’ve had a mini-revelation as I’ve been looking at my own things … that I, too, have way too much stuff. Let’s just say it kind of dawned on me when I was packing away my 19th bin of Christmas decorations!
Doctor heal thyself!
So, with the idea of lightening my load (cuz hauling all this stuff 2000 miles is going to be brutal) and the burden I would put onto my children’s shoulders if that proverbial bus were to come around the corner and run me over … I am getting rid of my STUFF. I am purging, giving away, and selling what I can/don’t need and am not emotionally tied to.
This past weekend I started going through bins of old linens and mementos and clothing.
Will I ever fit into that beautiful, wool, sized 7 dirndl skirt again? No – (not at least without liposuction and/or amputation)! But someone else will and they will love it. It is gone.
Do I really need to save my 4th grade report card? I passed; I went on to 5th grade. I think we all know that. It has been recycled.
Do I really need the cards and letters that my friends and loved ones have sent/given me along this life’s journey? YES INDEED! Some things you just have to keep … cuz those things are songs from the heart – not STUFF.
In any case … I’m feeling like a very confident psychic … because I see a large offering being taken to Goodwill, a profitable garage sale this spring, and far less stuff in my home for me (or my kids) to contend with. Now that I’m getting a handle on the stuff … let’s see what I can do about death and taxes.