Packing Up and Moving On

On closing down a house

Shredding paper. That’s a skill. You have to know how exactly how many sheetsredder to work. Not just the number, but the kind of paper too. I learnt this at the start of March when José and I sat and shred mountains of financial and personal information that had collected in our Mumbai flats over the years! Bags and bags of shred paper left the house and we heaved a sigh of relief after that.

We got all our bookshelves cleaned and there are certainly well over 1500 books waiting to be packed. No time to sort them out into those we want to keep and those we want to give away. That’s a decision one can’t make in a hurry!

Then we measured the furniture to see how it would fit into our Secunderabad home.

We only got a chance to glance at the crockery, the kitchen utensils, the paintings and the artifacts. Next month, we go back and do a final sort, get the stuff moved.

I’m a military brat. Packing up and moving is easier for me. For José, it’s harder. That’s the home he lived in for over 50 years. I lived there for only 7. We had worked together to make it it a home until 2014. I found myself getting emotional too.

But it’s time to move all the stuff out and consolidate our belongings in one location. And then just minimize as much as we can. It is time! We don’t want to leave a legacy of unsorted stuff for anyone.

When we walk into the house this final time, I know it will be sad. But the end of that chapter of our life will certainly make us feel more grounded. More secure.

Packing up and moving on is never easy, but often it’s the best thing for us to do.

I’m responding to a prompt from Julie Hester’s

Writing in Company

: What do the boxes and bins in your basement and attic and closet and rooms say about (and to) you?