Serenity to Chaos

A turnkey purchase means you have everything necessary to move in and live in a property.  Think dishes, pots and pans, bathroom towels, furnishings, and even a very nice TV.  We could have gone on with our lives without adding another thing, other than the clothes we brought with us and our laptops.  A quick stop at Walmart around the corner for groceries, and we were quite comfortable.  The prospect of adding the contents of three moving pods to our attractive and comfortable new home felt like the looming clouds of a south Florida, afternoon thunderstorm.

 

Then, the U-Pack pods arrived.  With the help of three men and their supervisor, over the course of several hours, our entire condominium was filled with boxes everywhere from front to back, and side to side.  We clearly realized we could have, and should have, brought even as little as half of what we had packed.  The task before us would become what things to absolutely keep, and what more we could part with.  Suddenly, all that seemed so essential to retain had perhaps been overkill.

The idea was to first clear enough area that we could sleep and eat.  That would not be an easy task, but the earlier days of removing a significant part of the decor the sellers had endowed us with proved to be great preparation for this task.  After accomplishing enough to make paths through the condo, we waved our white flag, and went out for pizza and a beer.  New York style pizza, a dark beer, and a very accommodating waitress made our earlier nightmare recede.  Returning home, we ended the day with TV-time, sitting on the only furniture still available in the living room-our sofa!

Thursday came too early for aching bodies, but we continued.  Slowly over the remainder of the week, the floor in the kitchen became visible again.  The dining room has reappeared partially, and we can see through to the lanai.  Our bedrooms are another matter, but we've managed to keep the beds clear at night.  Snoopy has worn himself out trying to make sense of all of the boxes, and items moving around from place to place.  Mostly though, he's sleeping through the chaos.

Jim has the larger bedroom with its walk-in closet.  He's got more to put away, hide, or ultimately dispose of, with things from his former hobby room, a hall closet, his bedroom, and the garage to mull over.  My battle is figuring out what kitchen items are going to be sacrificed, and how to fit my hobby items into a bedroom-only space with half the closet I previously enjoyed.  Luckily, I got rid of half of my clothes already before moving, but I still have a large suitcase that came in the pods to sort through.

Moving is not for the weak or elderly.  It is a sport for young people.  Jim joked that "maybe this would be an interim spot, and we'd look for something bigger with our Realtor.  Something with another bedroom, and perhaps a garage?"  I think not.  When we are finally done with this task, I'm going to put my feet up and rest.  Or maybe go to the beach and stare at the water.  Or maybe go have another New York pizza and two beers!!!  I think Jim already agrees.  Divesting ourselves of "stuff" has been a curse, and a blessing.  I realize succinctly, it's not the things you possess, but the living of life that matters at our age.  

Now, back to unpacking and getting rid of more...