Tiny Wrapped Up In A Whole Lot of Stuff

We like to think of ourselves as simple. I definitely wouldn't call us minimalists, but with all the moves we've made, we've managed to prioritize what we really need (or enjoy having). We have noticed that each time we move it seems to require a little more as we acquire a little more. We try to cost-effectively weed out the unnecessaries, but then there's alway the essentials and the "might be useful somedays" that come along. (For example, those XL sweaters I saved from when big and baggy was in during the 90s? Useful now, as I begin to get big and baggy.) This time I'm not sure what it's all going to look like. Our "stuff" is changing forms as we change directions.

Looking back, we didn't bring over much when we moved to Macedonia in the Peace Corps, and not much came back either (especially walking across the border while being evacuated).

Anthony and Tom- heading toward the Greek border

When I moved from New York to California in 1999 I went on a plane with everything I thought I needed. Granted that included my bike in a bike box stuffed with all my clothes around it. My parents and little brother came too, and I allowed them only minimal personal items for themselves so that I could take a few more things.

Moving to Boston from California meant that my mom and I put all of my possessions in my VW GTI for the trip (the bike rode on top this time, there was underwear stuffed in the toaster oven, and we read 4th grade chapter books out of my teaching boxes for entertainment.)

California to Boston move

Boston to Rhode Island was such a little move, that even though I now had a second bike and a kayak- everything was still quite simple.

Rhode Island to Oregon was eye-opening in how much stuff we had amassed, but by this time it was the two of us moving together. We rented a 6x12 trailer to tow behind our truck because of the queen size mattress (which later became a mouse home in storage, causing us to ditch it anyway- but that's another story).

Rhode Island to Oregon move

I have no idea what extra stuff we must have acquired while in Oregon, but this time we rented a portion of a truck to move us back east to Cape Cod. (I will admit that in every move, a lot of what has grown has been my teaching stuff...)

Oregon to Cape Cod move

I bring all this up because, with our current situation of having a baby and tearing down our house simultaneously, I'm experiencing mixed messages and mixed emotions. My body is telling me to nest, and my brain is telling me to "un-nest". I won't be able to help move us out into wherever we're going to live while the real house is being built, so I feel like I have to get ready now by getting rid of stuff that I'm not sure we need and packing up stuff that's not vital for a while.

And then there's the issue of amassing and arranging all that will keep our tiny human alive and happy... While Flip may not need a very big home, per se,- he/she sure does require a whole lot of stuff! What's really necessary and how do we know?

-J