In the beginning I told people we would be "getting rid of everything". The words rolled out of my mouth as if it were a simple act to accomplish. It's just stuff, right? After two weeks of attempting to make the stuff disappear, I fully realize how difficult it is. There are sentimental attachments: My grandma crocheted afghan blankets for each person in my family and somehow I ended up with most of them. There are value attachments: Do you realize how much I paid for these shoes? My mind conjures up perfectly legitimate reasons to keep absolutely everything in sight. If I were at an Attachments Anonymous meeting tonight, I might confess to an evil daydream where all my husband's clothes "accidentally" go up in flames and I conveniently get to pack my things in the two checked suitcases allotted to him.
The dining room as of 08/22. Notice the empty bookcase!
What about storage? Well thanks to my generous in-laws we do have a corner of their basement set aside for about 8 large plastic bins. It just seems silly to store kitchen utensils (or shoes, a Nintendo, and my favorite dressy coat) in a basement for four years. If it were essential I'd take it with me and if it isn't then somebody else should enjoy it. My new motto is "be ruthless". I repeated that motto in my head this afternoon as my husband pried the tie-dyed bubble-letter mugs imprinted with our wedding date out of my hands and put them in the donate box. Mugs people! Dont even get me started on paperwork and letters.
For those that have asked, we are not shipping any belongings to Ireland. We dont have the extra money nor do we have the time to figure out how to do it. Furnished apartments (excuse me "flats") are the norm in Dublin and will be a huge help in getting situated quickly. Also, we have located the nearest IKEA. In the meantime, I will continue to be as ruthless as I can be. How are we doing so far? 11 days and counting.
