My Life in Boxes {Regaining Personal Freedom}
Life is messy right now. Messy and in boxes. Literally. All of my possessions are packed up, waiting to be moved to Albuquerque. I am hyper-organized when I have a big change or deadline, so I’ve been ready for a week. Which means I am tripping over boxes and finding myself going “GAH, why did I pack that?!” almost daily. But, the big day will be here soon enough. 6 days to be exact. 6 more days and I will no longer be a Colorado resident. It still feels surreal.
The past two years I have been living in Grandpa Pat’s house. Now Pat is not my grandma, but she is everyone’s grandma. I’ve never met a more lively, 84-year-old Irish woman. And the year before living with Pat, I had moved into an apartment with a roommate. The goal was to save money and pay off my debt. I put a pretty good dent in my debt. Choosing this lifestyle meant sacrificing something else. As a result, 1) most of my possessions have been packed up and in storage for almost 2 years, and 2) I slowly donated or sold off all my furniture. I finally threw away my 12 year old mattress.
Albuquerque is cheaper than Denver to live in, so I will FINALLY have my own place again. It might not seem like a big deal, but for an introverted, independent, 32-year-old woman, having my OWN place that is bigger than 10×14 is the best thing that could happen to me right now! But with having my own place comes the need for being grown up and buying new furniture again. First order of business, a mattress. Like any respectable blogger would do, I shamelessly pitched mattress company after mattress company begging requesting that they send me something to sleep on. My efforts paid off! So look for some awesome pictures on the blog of me sleeping later. I will worry about couches, tv stands, and dining tables later. I’ve been browsing online and I love this cappuccino-colored table.
After 2 years of being in storage, I have forgotten what I own. Part of the fun of moving is packing and unpacking. I’m an organizing neat freak, so I enjoy these things. You are probably thinking I am crazy. I’m for hire! (Joking, not joking.) Getting to unbox all my things will be like Christmas! Every day! For like a week! Yes, it’s my goal to unpack in a week, while I am still working, blogging, and doing all the other things I need to do that are required when you move to a new state. I’m pretty sure I’m obligated to check out the local restaurants and bars.
A little voice in my brain is also saying, “This stuff has been in storage for 2 years, you don’t need it!” Maybe this is true. Minimalism is something I have contemplated. Not to the extent that some YouTubers take it , but I do believe less is better. Stuff does not make me happy. But then I tell myself I have been living in someone else’s home, so of course I don’t need my pots and pans and decor. But I will need them when I have my own place. And I am pretty good about decluttering. (Hyper-organized, neat freak, remember?)
Here’s to living out of boxes for the next month, and remembering what’s important. I’m finally going to be in the same city and state as my boyfriend, and boxes won’t dampen my mood.