4/7/14
re: Marna and Bob Page. More about downsizing: What a great idea to be able to switch with your daughter, Marna! I too did my own packing of dishes, etc. because I couldn’t stand to pay for something I thought I could do myself! Only two dishes arrived broken so it was probably the smart thing to do. I found I was missing several things but can’t figure out if the movers lost a box, I left it behind, or it got taken some time during the weeks before the actual move, as there was a lot of traffic in and out helping me get the house ready for sale.
The actual downsizing was, as several others have commented on, a bittersweet experience. And trying to decide what “stuff” was really important at times was downright painful! It helped to have my “hard-hearted” daughter swoop in about 6 weeks before the move with her husband, two helpers, a dump truck and a pick-up. They were like a swarm of locusts tossing accumulation of 30 years of belongings, including the boxes I had already set aside for charity! And some stuff that I probably would have kept but don’t really miss. They were marvelously efficient and filled two trucks full –the garbage dump collectors were beyond thrilled at the haul and while it didn’t go to the charity of my choice, I think it was well-used. I continued to sort and decided I couldn’t stand the thought of a garage sale so donated a lot more stuff to charity. The buyers were willing to keep a few pieces of large furniture that wouldn’t fit in my new apartment, and the movers actually made a stop at Goodwill with 2 large sofas en route to Santa Barbara. I took the time to try on a lot of clothes that I hadn’t worn in a long time and discovered a few forgotten timeless treasures, but many were obviously not good choices any more and they happily went in the donation bags. I find that now that I am moved in to my new apartment, with very few storage spaces still available (though this apartment has a wonderful abundance of nooks and crannies!), I am loathe to accumulate more and am making an effort to wear what I brought with me and not fill up my closet any further! It is a problem that the next generation usually doesn’t have room for our “treasures”. I keep thinking my daughter will regret it someday and she often says “You keep it for me Mom” but I now have less room than she does. She and her husband have a more streamlined style so don’t have a lot of chotzkes around — I do!
