Packing

I think I have a slight obsession with sorting and organizing. It's not quite the same as Carl's, my method is a little more chaotic in his eyes. Generally I have my way of going through things, and it sometimes can annoy Carl because it's a bit messy, but I really think that's just a subjective way of looking at it!

A few days ago I stopped stalling and started to tackle the dreaded task of organizing my craft bin in the office. It took all of my will to stay on task, and I'm sorry to say that I didn't quite get to the office bin still from Fresno full of paper clips, cards, erasers, stickers, pens, index cards, old glasses, highlighters.....I'm thinking those things don't need to be sorted and I'm just going to dump it all in one bin and label it Office Misc. (which I know will bug Carl to consider that packing!).

Anyways, I made my little craft piles in the office, which probably just looked like I dumped out the entire bin on the floor. First I organized into paper and stamp equipment. Then I rearranged it and organized into sub categories; used paper stuff and new paper and equipment - big and small. Ah, then I rearranged again, and then again, and again. I don't know why I do this. Finally after 45 minutes, I still had piles but I needed to do something else, so I closed the door and left. That's how I deal with it. The next day Kezia looked over at the mess and said to me, "Mom, it looks like you'll have to clean this mess up yourself. No one helped you make it, so you can't expect anyone else to clean up after you." Such true words coming from my three year old. Sigh.

So I got on my hands and knees, put things in piles, just once, and then packed some in my suitcase and some back into the craft bins. It only took 8 minutes. And it was real packing, not just dumping and ignoring.

Right now I'm feeling pretty proud of myself and not overwhelmed at what still needs to get done. I'm glancing at my to-do list and see that all but 3 things are checked off and there's a warm pleasant feeling in my heart. Oh, I love completed lists.

I realize that maybe this packing thing is coming easier now because we did this last year. I look back and think, Man, we were crazy! Seven years of collecting stuff, three kids, and sorting stuff to stay, stuff to go, stuff to purge, all with a 2 year old pooping in the flower beds, a 4 year old weeping at the sight of a suitcase, and a 2 week old baby....But God got us through and though I'd never do THAT again, I guess it did prepare us for our future adventure.

So with only 5 more sleeps in our house and 12 more on the continent, I think we're doing okay. We all are working through what is coming for our family in our own way; sometimes it's manageable and other times it takes a bit more to process. There are days when I think everything is going hunky dory, and then issues (totally unrelated to us moving, ARG!) come up that weigh heavy on my heart, and yet, the packing still has to happen. The meals still need to be made, the kids need love and reassurance and play time more than ever, the list still has a few more things to check off.

But that's life right now. I sometimes wonder what normal people are doing right now. The ones that are sending their kids to school in 10 days, having company over next weekend, who are just going on with life, grocery shopping, buying a new computer, arguing with the neighbours. What does that feel like? What do you do if you aren't packing and sorting? I really can't remember.

Soon this packing will be done. Soon we'll be unpacking somewhere else, and part of me is so looking forward to unpacking and settling. Not just for a few months, or weeks, but for a long while. That will feel so good and weird all at the same time.