Usually, when people refer to "the little things" it is in reference to the seemingly insignificant happenings in life, and we are exhorted to either forget them or relish them.
I'm talking literally---not figuratively---here. See, we are moving out of our house and into our camper next week. So we are in serious clean-out-the-house mode. We have been downsizing since last September, and I've blogged at various points along the way about my feelings on the matter. It was freeing. It was a hassle. It was jolly good fun. It was painful. It was necessary.
There's not much we got rid of that we regret. Maybe the beach towels, but how was I to know a pool membership would be included in our campsite rental? Sometimes the kids will ask where something is--like the mini hot-glue gun--and we realize that the reason we can't find it is because it's been sold or given away. Just yesterday, Joshua asked, "Mama, where is my little kitchen?" All of our furniture is either already gone or else spoken for.
It's past the fun stage, and we are ready to be done! The things we have left fall into two categories. The first is "most used." These things are not fun to get rid of, because they leave a void in our lives. That sounds ridiculous, I know. But take the blender, for example. It means no more homemade milkshakes. The popcorn popper is gone, too, as well as the crockpot and waffle iron. If we invite you over, be prepared to sit on the stairs, ampitheather-style, since the chairs are gone! The kids no longer have dressers, and it's impossible to keep clothes tidy when you're living out of a laundry basket. We partially solved that problem...not by buying organizers, but by giving away clothes.
Most of the other things fall into the second category: the "little things." A hole punch. Bungee cords. Utilitly knife. Batteries (used? good? we don't know). Scads of pens and pencils. A tube of touch-up paint for our car. Caribiners. Keys of unknown origin. Store courtesy cards. Random bolts and screws that look like they might be important. Four scissors (where were they when nobody could find even one?). A dinosaur-shaped sandwich cutter. Happy meal toys. Miscellaneous puzzle pieces. Glue sticks. Crayons of every hue Crayola ever manufactured. Marbles (feel free to insert a smart comment about lost marbles). Magnetic balls masquerading as marbles. Rubber bands. And Legos, Legos everywhere.
What am I supposed to DO with all that? The sheer quantity of the "little things" is overwhelming. I can't very well sweep it all into the trash. It's hardly worth selling. We certainly can't take it all along with us (into the camper OR to Thailand!) I suppose we could "bless" our renters :) I have until July to decide....
It makes me sad, in a way. The little things are the stuff of life in an active household. They are the things I pick out of the dustpan when I sweep the floor. The things I step on in the dark. The things that roll under the refrigerator and must be fished out with a yardstick.
We are getting rid of the "little things." It means we are really, truly leaving this house.
I wonder how long it will take to accumulate a fresh collection of "little things?" My guess is about two weeks....or less!
I'm talking literally---not figuratively---here. See, we are moving out of our house and into our camper next week. So we are in serious clean-out-the-house mode. We have been downsizing since last September, and I've blogged at various points along the way about my feelings on the matter. It was freeing. It was a hassle. It was jolly good fun. It was painful. It was necessary.
There's not much we got rid of that we regret. Maybe the beach towels, but how was I to know a pool membership would be included in our campsite rental? Sometimes the kids will ask where something is--like the mini hot-glue gun--and we realize that the reason we can't find it is because it's been sold or given away. Just yesterday, Joshua asked, "Mama, where is my little kitchen?" All of our furniture is either already gone or else spoken for.
It's past the fun stage, and we are ready to be done! The things we have left fall into two categories. The first is "most used." These things are not fun to get rid of, because they leave a void in our lives. That sounds ridiculous, I know. But take the blender, for example. It means no more homemade milkshakes. The popcorn popper is gone, too, as well as the crockpot and waffle iron. If we invite you over, be prepared to sit on the stairs, ampitheather-style, since the chairs are gone! The kids no longer have dressers, and it's impossible to keep clothes tidy when you're living out of a laundry basket. We partially solved that problem...not by buying organizers, but by giving away clothes.
Most of the other things fall into the second category: the "little things." A hole punch. Bungee cords. Utilitly knife. Batteries (used? good? we don't know). Scads of pens and pencils. A tube of touch-up paint for our car. Caribiners. Keys of unknown origin. Store courtesy cards. Random bolts and screws that look like they might be important. Four scissors (where were they when nobody could find even one?). A dinosaur-shaped sandwich cutter. Happy meal toys. Miscellaneous puzzle pieces. Glue sticks. Crayons of every hue Crayola ever manufactured. Marbles (feel free to insert a smart comment about lost marbles). Magnetic balls masquerading as marbles. Rubber bands. And Legos, Legos everywhere.
What am I supposed to DO with all that? The sheer quantity of the "little things" is overwhelming. I can't very well sweep it all into the trash. It's hardly worth selling. We certainly can't take it all along with us (into the camper OR to Thailand!) I suppose we could "bless" our renters :) I have until July to decide....
It makes me sad, in a way. The little things are the stuff of life in an active household. They are the things I pick out of the dustpan when I sweep the floor. The things I step on in the dark. The things that roll under the refrigerator and must be fished out with a yardstick.
We are getting rid of the "little things." It means we are really, truly leaving this house.
I wonder how long it will take to accumulate a fresh collection of "little things?" My guess is about two weeks....or less!
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