Thursday, October 12, 2006

I give up too easily.

Tonight I went and stood down in the basement for a good long time. Yes, I just stood there. And looked at the pile of boxes in the corner that are creating enough visual clutter to keep me from actually making use of my studio down there. The jumble of boxes say things like "serious misl." and "Absolute CHAOS!" and "Is there ever an end to all of this junk???" and "You've gotta be fucking kidding me!!!" and "STUFF." I guess you could say that I started getting creative with my box labeling right before the big move (you know, the stuff at the end that you don't know what to do with...). Those boxes (some rather large) have been sitting in that same damp corner for the past 2 months. You'd think that, after that much time had passed, I just wouldn't need it anymore. But the truth is that I end up digging around, making an even bigger mess, every time I'm looking for something I can't find.

So I stood down there and stared at the pile and looked around at the sheer amount of stuff I have throughout the basement and thought about all the stuff I have throughout the house and imagined: "If I were moving far, far way--what would I take with me?" And then the trick is to get rid of everything else except for those items. Except, you see, it never actually works.

In the end, I failed to unpack or organize anything. I just came upstairs and sat down. Depressed. Looking at those piles made everything feel so futile. And now, several hours later, I can't remember what I wanted to paint in the first place.



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and now look... my husband is making fun of me!

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

i think there are similarities only in that you both are geniuses, have great hair, and i admire you both a LOT.

don't worry about the unpacking, sweetie. you'll feel an upsurge of energy just meant for those boxes someday soon. i swear it.

Bill said...

You're not alone. The best solution when faced with this sort of situation is to move home every three to four years. This forces you to toss half your stuff before your husband/wife finds it when packing/unpacking, and asks you why the heck you bought it to begin with.

gkgirl said...

awww....
that sucks about the boxes
but i have got to tell
you that you made me laugh out loud
literally
with the labelling...
hee hee hee.
i loved that...
"are you effing kidding me?"
heeheehee...
i want to move again just
so i can write stuff like that
on our boxes...
well...
not really,
but you know what i mean.

:)

sophie said...

Jessie!!!!

I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT TO DO!!

It's easy. Unpack ONE box
each day.
That's all. Just one.
Make sure you throw away the
box as well,
and it's amazing
you will get there and feel good
inside and not depressed because
you have a plan and actually
did something.
Just one.
It's easy.

meghan said...

I agree - one box, one at a time. Baby, manageable tiny steps. Take each one upstairs so you don't see the mess. It'll happen!

Tammy Brierly said...

Your hubby needs a thump on his head :) Sorry I LMAO!

Baby steps and a huge garbage can :) xxoo

Gina said...

I have so many corners to look at in my house!

Deirdre said...

The only way I can get boxes unpacked is to set a timer for 15 mins. and the go like hell until it rings. And each day I do the same thing until...empty boxes! It's almost like magic. Or not.

daringtowrite said...

Oh Jessie, those famous last boxes. I still have 4 left to unpack and I've been here for almost a year now. And the one box at a time isn't working for me right now because one box is even too overwhelming sometimes. I like the idea of setting a timer for 15 minutes, though. Sometimes that is how I tackle my kitchen mess which I'd otherwise not be able to face.
Love the photo. Did he cheer you up or have you sealed him in a box in the basement?