ANCA.Spring.2017.Sept.19.final

Styles
ON the MOVE
By Carol Holst
Ah, yes. A cross country move; employment prospects
uncertain, house unsold, new apartment that we’ve never
seen. And did we mention Autism? Combine these in a
big pot along with some okra and my, do we ever have
gumbo. Sheesh. Now, if you are still reading this you may
wonder what I’m talking about, so I shall stop for a moment
and pull my thoughts together so the remainder of
this little essay is somewhat coherent. Ahem…
My husband and I decided to move from our home
town near Houston, Texas to Washington State after our
son Eric moved there two years prior. We both resigned our
jobs, sold our pickup truck and gave away many belongings
so we could fit possessions and two large dogs into
an SUV and a 17-foot (5.2 m) moving van. Downsizing and
driving 2500 miles (4023 km) to move is a huge undertaking
for anyone, but couple it with Autism (I was diagnosed
at age 52) and my goodness, what a challenge, so they
say. I honestly don’t know how something like this affects
me and Eric (also autistic) differently than other people,
but that’s not the point.
Anyway, here is some advice for surviving such a thing
without going completely bonkers. For one, if parting with
inherited furniture is troublesome, find people you know
who may appreciate your items and the stories behind
them. After all, you won’t see your old friends as often and
they may want to keep something that reminds them of
you. Then donate the rest of your items if practical to do
so, meaning you won’t miss the money you would otherwise
get from a garage sale. We gave some furniture
to some young newlyweds. They painted it, and the new
life they breathed it into
is amazing. I think my
late uncle would be
happy with the results.
Did I mention we have
a lovely view of Mt.
Rainier from our balcony?
So why do we need
bulky furniture? Easy.
We don’t.
Okay, that takes
care of some obvious
things. What about
the not so obvious
things, like the items
that live in cabinets,
closets, the garage,
and places like that?
Find a place to put the
items that need sorting, and clear these items one shelf
from one closet at a time. One of my challenges is photographs
and greeting cards. Going through these things
can trigger strong emotions if you have many small
souvenirs of people who no longer exist in your physical
life. The process of organizing can become overwhelming,
so have a few boxes available for them before
you start. Label the boxes and put them out of the
way when they are full. And when it’s time to unload the
moving van, finding a place to keep them tidy will be a little
easier, until you open one and see the mess. Eek! That’s
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