I'll tell you, because I just did it: I call it downsizing in double-time!
Thanks to my amazing realtor, my top-notch lawyer, and an interested buyer, we sold our "big" house. Within a week. And closed within 10 weeks. A whirlwind shift in our lives, for sure!
The only "hitch" really was finding out this past Monday morning that our closing date was Wednesday afternoon! All that stuff that we hadn't known what to do with, hadn't had time or energy to decide on, or hadn't been ready to part with, was in the basement of a house soon to be transferred over in deed and title to the lucky buyer. Only, now we HAD to do something with it all - and fast!
College notes. Text books. Journals. More books. Baby clothes. Tools. And just stuff. Oodles of stuff. It was all small stuff, and it all added up to a lot.
I made rapid fire decisions, one after another after another. Chuck this, recycle that, donate this. Why did I keep those twist ties that cluttered up my tool box? Who could use a modem? Did I really need my 15 year old notes on C++? We filled a garbage can, a recycling bin, and the back of the CRV with donations (twice). After about 12 hours, it was finally done.
In all the hustle, I found something amazing: my husband's phone number. Of course I know his phone number! I mean, the piece of paper he gave me when we first exchanged numbers over 12 years ago. I had it stashed away in a journal, and I just so happened to open right to the page where it was carefully taped for remembrance. I felt that same flutter in my heart from the moment of exchange, thinking that this super nice guy, so kind and caring and intriguing, might be interested in me. And then feeling overwhelmingly thankful that he still is. (And yes, I cried. Meanwhile, he was sitting on the other side of the room laughing over drawings of Captain Stupid Pants or something that he made in middle school. And that's what I love about him!)
And, I just realized I might have left it in the pocket of my jeans that he put it in the wash tonight for me. Well, I suppose that just brings home the impermanence of material things! Enjoy the moment, and then let it go to make room for new experiences, new memories, new happiness.
My 10 year tenure as a landlord has come to a close. All the stress of being responsible for my tenants' happiness, a two-family home, and all the mounds of bills and maintenance issues, is released. I am free to spend more time with my family, and I'm going to need it - our baby boy is due in two weeks!
In the midst of the chaos this week, I found a quote from Thich Nhat Hanh that reads, "Happiness means feeling you are on the right path every moment. You don't need to arrive at the end of the path in order to be happy."
Whether you are on a downsizing journey or another life adventure of different proportions, may you find contentment in knowing you are on the right path for you, right here, right now, like I have felt as all these many decisions have come together to bring me to today.
