reflétant

I can’t believe step one is finally happening. Downsizing. I’ve gotten rid of many of my larger pieces of furniture and other items that are non-essentials so that I can trim the fat so to speak. Each thing I mark down feels like a small victory! I love my stuff so it’s hard to part with a few things but the nice part is that many will be in places that I’ll revisit them in a new home and that’s sort of exciting! To know there’s a piece of my kitchen with someone else or my candelabra or my antique mirror. These are all things to look forward to but in a new way!

As I prepare for the move this weekend I can’t help but think about how it’s an opportunity for me to try packing my suitcases and knowing what fits and what doesn’t even though I know this move will not be a complete shedding of my things. I will, most definitely, still need my desktop and I’ll be helping with family meals so I’ll bring some cookbooks but it’s step one. It’s the next layer of the onion. It’s preparing to live in community, of sharing meals and chores and being ready to serve in a moment’s notice.

For so many months I thought of a roommate (or similar equivalent) as being a demotion in my life but I feel peace about it now. I know that what I’m doing isn’t a matter of being demoted but of being willing to take the necessary actions to go after a goal! The sacrifice seems minimal and progressive I suppose. I’m not sure when exactly my attitude shifted but it must have been more recently and I don’t know exactly when my thoughts on the matter changed. Maybe it’s the idea of a large room and a bathroom to myself that remain pretty great, that hardly seems like a step down. Sure the rest of the house is shared but that’s a pretty plum deal if you ask me. I’m excited to make meals in the large kitchen and chop on the island and share at the beautiful family table that looks like it might as well be from a European home. No complaints, really.

I’m hoping that being around the two kids will also remind me to be a little more childlike. To appreciate the little things and to run around from time to time and be silly. I need more of that in my life so who knows… maybe we’ll be racing out to the trampoline or I’ll be lifting one of them up to reach an apple from a tall branch. The thought is pretty beautiful indeed.