Tuesday, January 11, 2011

20 More Days of Letting Go


(Empty shelving that I no longer need--formerly used for eBay inventory, packing supplies, fabrics, art supplies, and what-have-you)

Wow, have I ever deep-sixed a lot of stuff lately. This is after already downsizing just a year ago, when I moved from a big suburban house to a little rental hovel. Now I'm moving into a 22-ft motorhome and I figure I need to get rid of approximately 90 percent of what I own. I'm well on my way to achieving that...but, man, is it hard!

In this downsizing, I'm really getting to where the nitty hits the gritty. Some things have taken me years to collect...my tilemaking tools, for example. I probably won't be doing any tilemaking while I'm on the road, unless I decide to stop for a few months somewhere that I'd have ready access to a studio. It's hard to decide which things to store with a friend, which things I'll need on the road, and which things to get rid of, but I am trying to be very selective. Going through stuff like photos, artwork, paperwork, journals, letters, etc., is the hardest because it means reliving a lot of past experiences and evaluating their importance in my life today. Do I need or want reminders of various accomplishments, events, people, and places from my past? When it gets too hard to make these decisions, I let myself quit for a while and then come back to it.

Some of this process has been really good for me. I'm getting organized at a level I've never been able to achieve in the past. For example, several old address books have gotten combined into one; three boxes of photos were winnowed down to a small one that I can take with me; and I've already got most of my records together in order to file my income taxes. I've also gotten to celebrate some growth. For instance, I've felt relief when I've read old journals and realized that I am in such a better place today in so many ways and that now I can throw the old stories away.

My hope is to be on the road in 20 days. I want to get this sorting/tossing/selling/donating stuff done well before that, so I am plugging away.

4 comments:

  1. Keep in mind you have to consider what your rig can handle weight wise. For your electrical and general RV questions sign up for www.rv.net and check out the Class C forum, there might even be a Dolphin forum... hmmm just a sec...

    Here is a site devoted to the Dolphin
    http://www.toyotamotorhome.org/

    So, between friends, rv.net and the Dolphin sites you should be able to get most any kind of info for that rig you need, including schematics and what switches to turn on and off etc...

    Good luck!
    Erik

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  2. Keep Up The GOOD WORK! We have been down sizing for a couple of years now and plan on being on the road this summer. It's hard to do but we're sure it's worth it.

    Travel Safe
    Dawn & Denise

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  3. Thanks for the positive strokes and great suggestions, you guys!

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  4. It's hard! I figure, if it were easy, everyone would be on the road! Good work, and hang in.

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