Wahoo! We have set a date to put our residence of 30 plus years up for sale in two weeks. In the process, we uncluttered, detached and removed ourselves from our ownership of emotional objects that have been holding us captive here. Really, it is about taking photos (mental or real) to remember the moment in time. For me, it was a 600 pounds extra deep and six-foot-long claw foot bathtub. My grandparents had it in their home, where my Mother took baths in it, I took baths in it as a child when I visited my Grandmother and then moved the tub to my house where my children took baths in it. Oh, the history and all those emotional ties. While talking to friends about it they asked when was the last time I had taken a bath in it. After a long pause, I said a year ago. I had a hard time getting in and out of it and I really didn’t like taking a bath. So did I need it, yes! But why did I need it was the bigger question. Did it remind me of being part of a family tradition? Did it tell my heart that this was the last tangible remembrance of my deceased Grandmother? I cried until I came across a photo of my children taking a bath in the said tub. I remember how they loved making the water roll around and laughing. Then I realized it was the memory, not the tub I needed to keep. That photo told me the story I was needing to remember, and it didn’t way 600 pounds. Funny thing is when I was telling my sons the story they immediately were saddened by the fact we were leaving the tub behind. Let it go, take a photo and lighten up your life. professionals have been brought in to have a look at the state of our abode. This is a very difficult process for two people who have lived freely at a relaxed pace. We were given an ultimatum to continue to expel excess baggage from the craft! So we did a simple exercise that helped. Out of all the cardboard boxes we packed, we decided to go through again and repack into very indestructible plastic tubs. As we did this inventory, the question of “is this really important?” game came into play again. So the journey continues, some days are great and some days are difficult just to get started.
Culture, Heart, and Art
