Melissa Ann Goodwin

Melissa Ann Goodwin

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Our Life in Storage


Happy Buddha watches over our stuff


Does it ever end? The packing I mean. Last weekend, we moved most of our stuff to storage. There it is in the picture - our 31-year-life together in a 10 by 10 storage unit.

Today we made another trip there with a few wayward things that didn't make it on the first go-round. The rest of the day, I've been packing up the stuff that will go to the apartment with us. And you know what? It's still seems like too much stuff!

We have sold some pieces of furniture and donated countless others. Every day we put things out on the curb with a Free Stuff sign, and it's gone in minutes. Dick has donated paintings for silent auctions and given others away to friends. I like the idea that we can visit his art when we visit them.

In spite of how much work this is, it feels good. Once you get started with the purge, it's hard to stop. I'm amazed at how ruthless I can get - more than once, I've clung to some item, but then when it doesn't fit in the 10 by 10, I am miraculously able to part with it! Over the next six months, I'm going through the stuff I've kept and I'm sure the purge will continue.

This view of our stored stuff below looks like it might have been taken on the Titanic after it went bottoms-up...


Creative use of the available storage space

10 comments:

  1. Well DW - after helping to move all this "STUFF" I can attest to the fact that we still have too much STUFF!!!
    6 months from now when we start living in our RV full time we'll have to get rid of some more stuff!!! IT feels good!!!!! It feels good to donate things that we have used for years and now some one else gets to enjoy them! The paintings I've donated to charity auctions will help lots of folks out and that is a wonderful feeling.

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  2. the buddha is cute, but the upside down chairs are the hallmark of a storage unit:)

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  3. Holy cannoli - that is one spectacularly precarious pack job! Bravo! Purging feels so good and I can't wait to do it for our remodel. I'm STILL so excited for this next chapter of your life!! Yeeeha!

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  4. Ed, yes - it all looked so civilized until those chairs had to go in....

    AB, Me Too!!! It's gonna be fun. I'm hoping to channel my inner Erma Bombeck for the RV travels blogging....maybe you can ghost write for me - you are funnier than I by far!

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  5. It is a good feeling to get rid of STUFF. I didn't realize the two of you were planning on RVing. I will look forward to those blog posts!

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  6. Hi Karen! - yes, we start in the spring. I'm really looking forward to it. And yes, the stuff has GOT to GO!

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  7. What a funny photo!...kind of puts it all into perspective, doesn't it? :)

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  8. I think we all should go through this exercise once in a while. It's very therapeutic - the colonic irrigation of the living space;-)

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  9. jabblog, that's a great analogy!

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