Now that we’re officially one week away from the close on our new house, my husband and I have decided it’s probably about time we start packing up our possessions and deciding what stays and what goes.

Even though we went through the “shedding” process just last August, it’s amazing how much more CRAP we’ve accumulated. Before we sold our last house and moved into a condo, we had a gigantic yard sale in which we sold excess furniture, clothes, housewares, electronics, and God knows what else. A ton of stuff. What didn’t sell, we donated.

Yet, somehow, just eight months later and we find ourselves dreading the move yet again because we have more stuff than we need.

Today, I decided to start with the “easy” room: my office.

I had convinced myself that it would be the fastest to pack, as it only consists of a desk, a leather couch, and two solid bookcases loaded down with books.

Did I mention I have a LOT of books?

I spent nearly an hour just taking all of the books off of their shelves and stacking them on the floor. I made a pretty big realization as I watched the piles of paperbacks and hardcovers grow taller and taller:

Man, I’m an eclectic reader.

I have everything from the classics to comic books and everything in between. I have young adult next to scifi, magical realism next to instructional books on writing screenplays. I really ought to keep these better organized in the future.

While I stuffed the books into the big cardboard boxes, I made a promise to myself to plan for our new home: to start off our “new life” with more organization, less chaos, and to live by the mantra that quality is greater than quantity.

We have SO much stuff, yet very little of it means much to us in the long run. Each time we move, we discover how happy we are to shed our excesses, to donate our unwanted items, and to get back to a simplistic way of life. Currently, we have a house full of belongings, but only a handful of them are priceless to us. I’m looking forward to getting back to the basics and hope that I can stick to it through planning, organization, and will power in our new home.

Quick tangent —-

Good God, I have a million pairs of shoes.

Do I really NEED 14 different pairs of black pumps? Perhaps I should just buy one or two nice, quality, classic pairs that I can wear for years versus a dozen that fall apart or go out of style every six months. Save time, room, and money.

End tangent —-

So, on that note, it’s back to packing up the office and daydreaming about the simple start I hope to have in our new home.

Packing and planning.

Optimistic for a busy evening and quite a bit of procrastination,

~ Victoria Elizabeth