Old Friends

Laying in bed last night on my way to sleep, I wondered why I haven't been able to post anything here for a few weeks.  It's been a whirlwind of activity and decisions and I've been doing my best to focus on making memories here and now with my family and friends.   As I was trying to think of one thing to focus on for a blog post and image of a giant snowball barreling down the path of my recent days and swallowing up all of my experiences until all I could see were arms and legs of my clients and friends and pieces of furniture and even my dogs tail wagging out one side.  So, I decided to pull one of them out of the jumble and spend a few minutes with it here as I sit in quiet of the early morning in my home office at the desk I've used for almost 20 years.  

My emotions welled up as I typed that last sentence because I've gotten down to the nitty gritty stages of letting go of my belongings.  My "desk" is actually a butcher block topped table that I originally bought with 4 chairs and used as a kitchen table.  When I got my first computer in my mid 20s (that's right, I didn't have a computer at home until my 20s), I started using it as a desk and  few years later found a maple hutch at Target that matched the top perfectly and was almost the exact length of my desk and I've used the two pieces together in my office since that time.  The hutch is posted on Craigslist and someone is coming to look at it today.  I am still using the desk and need it for my last week here, but I'll probably mention it to the person who wants the hutch because I feel like they're two old friends and would like to find them a new home together.

Last week I sold my antique dresser that I've had since I was 16 years old.  It came from a second-hand store in downtown Omaha called Second Chance and I can still see the description in my mind of the display tag that read, "1890s Cottage Style Dresser, Solid Oak".  Something about those simple words spoke to me and when I opened the top right drawer and saw the built in dividers, my organizing heart fell in love.  Somehow, telling the stories about how the items that were special to me came into my life and how I used them and loved them makes this process easier to process.

As I was polishing my dresser for the last time, I thought, "Who's idea was it to radically simplify my life anyway?!" Oh, yeah.  It was me, of course, and despite my mixed emotions, I love the after effects of letting go.  It's a lightness of being that sneaks up and surprises me in the middle of the day and calm certainty that I am on the right path. 

The last of my furniture to go will be my 1940s Waterfall Vanity.  I thought it was interesting that my "vanity" would be one of the last to go.  I got it about the same time as the dresser and have been using it to get ready for the day for almost 30 years.  I still love it, but I am ready to let it go.  It has served me well.  The funny thing is that I wasn't sure how I'd be able to organize my make-up and toiletries without the lovely drawers in my vanity.  Yes, I forgot that I was a Professional Organizer and there are shelves and drawers in my bathroom.  Silly me!