Moving is a time of cleansing – and I don’t mean your house. That becomes a total mess. It is cleansing in that you get rid of tons of crap. But we’re in an even more interesting position because all our stuff has to be divided into three piles:
1. Get rid of it
2. Put it in storage for two years
3. Bring it to London
Pile two is of course the largest. Most of our things are going into storage. It feels like we’re also placing a good amount in pile one – giving it away. I have a feeling that when we reclaim our possessions from pile two in storage we’ll wonder why we ever kept them.
Pile three is the most important. What limited things do you take with you to a foreign country for two years? In a previous move I got rid of all things that reminded me of my prior life. When I unpacked I felt very empty. Only the soulless stuff was left.
Having learned from that lesson, as well as not wanting to have to pack so much stuff back up when we leave London, I am taking two small boxes of “touchstone” things that remind me of good times.
Key selections include:
-A handmade mug that reminds me of Ithaca
-The Frida Kahlo keepsakes and handcrafts that remind me of Mexico
-Select pieces of my glass heart collection that remind me of California
Writing this I realize that I don’t have anything that will remind me of Houston...
