#8 The hardest part of purging

This post isn't very light hearted and I think I'm being redundant since all I talk about is getting rid of stuff.  I also think I'm beginning to stress a bit.  Isn't the whole purpose of this adventure to de-stess?  So far not working.  It seems time passes quickly and I feel like I'm going to run out of it.  Then there's now when it passes like molasses waiting for things to happen.  We've had a few people look at the house...no takers yet.  One couple seems really interested but no offer.  We have good prospects coming this afternoon and more this weekend, so, fingers crossed.  No moving forward until the noose called a house is sold.  I've been told to be patient.  I'm more like a kid wishing Christmas would hurry up and get here.  I want to write about our travels!

So in the meantime I keep asking "Are we ever going to get on the road"?  This adventure is waiting and we are stuck in limbo.  Stomping my feet like a three year old because I wanna go and I wanna go NOW!  Like that really helps.  Makes me feel better though.

So we wait.  And wait.  And wait.  And as we do  I continue to go through "stuff".  It's a much longer process than I imagined.  I have no problem getting rid of everyday stuff.  That's the easy part.  It's the stuff that I treasure I am having the most difficulty with.

A friend of mine posted an article about how no one (family) wants your stuff when you're gone.  While the article made sense, it makes me sad.  For my whole life I have treasured items that belonged to my family, including heirlooms from those long ago.  I enjoy looking at old pictures of relatives I never met...they are a part of me.  I like holding those little treasures knowing it belonged to a loved one.  It's sad to know that this and future generations no longer care about those things.

With that in mind, what do I do with it all?  Throw it away?  Keep it and store it?  To what end?  I have decided I will check with the kids first.  Maybe they aren't the norm and will enjoy having things that belonged to relatives past.  I have a cowbell and .22 rifle that belonged to my great grandfather.  They are over 100 years old!  Seems a shame to just dump them.  Surely our son would want those.  I have my great grandmother's hair comb.  It, too, is over 100 years old.  I have pins and broaches from my other great grandmother.  Those, too, are very old.  Surely our daughter will want those.  My dad's favorite belt buckle; model planes he built from scratch.  Wouldn't the kids want a remembrance from their grandfather?  And that's just the tip of the iceberg.  But it's important to remember the kids aren't me.  So in the end, if they don't want it, maybe someone else in the family does.  If not..guess I'll  be filling up that storage unit.

I also have pictures galore.  It seems in this digital age no one cares about those anymore.  I hope my kids are different.  If not...they'll just have to dump them when I'm gone.  I don't have the heart to do it.  Some of those pictures are older than me!  I thought about gathering them all up in to piles.  These go to Jeff...these Rachelle... these other family members, these we keep.  But then we circle back around.  Do they even want them?  Good Gravy this is hard.  A lot harder than I thought it would be.

We have made some progress, though.  LJ sold his side by side atv and his atv trailer.  Still working on selling the Toy Hauler.  Almost all the furniture has been spoken for.  Once the house goes into escrow things should move quickly.

Taking forever it seems, but again, it will be so worth it in the end.  As each decision is made, the weight on our shoulders gets lighter and lighter.  Keep our eyes on the prize.

Any suggestions you all have out there, to help us get through this part of the process, is welcomed.  In the meantime... where's the vodka...