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20 Years Ago

20 years ago I moved from the temporary haven I was staying in Brooklyn, NY to Kent, WA. (Pause for another one of many heartfelt “thank you”s to Ethan and Leigh for taking me in when my life was in turmoil.) Just me, my cats, and two suitcases of clothes made the journey cross country, shedding an old, horrible life for one of absolute uncertainty. (A truck of books and a little furniture came a few weeks later. Yes, of course I had books, it’s me after all.)
 
It was the best choice I’d ever made.
 
I left pain behind and spent a glorious summer by the pool, basking in the sun and slowly putting my head back together. I had no job, but because of a friend, I also had no rent (another heartfelt thank you to MIKE for this). My savings were sufficient for groceries and the odd movie. all I had to do was decide what I wanted to do with my life.

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Dressing for . . . 2000?

In cleaning out the garage, I ended up cleaning out a file cabinet that eventually found a new home via craigslist. It was two drawers of folders, the dregs of my past addiction to collecting information. We got a tote made for file folders and I settled down to sort.

Amidst the old letters, warranties and manual for things we no longer own, and just plain effluvia, I found a folder labeled ‘Things I Want”. Inside was an intriguing collection of pages from magazines, and scribbled lists based on places I no longer lived. A dresser (from back when I used boxes for my clothes because I’d just moved).  .A ‘grown up’ jewelry box (because I was tired of using just random jars and such and wanted a wooden one with drawers. A certain kind of makeup promising flawless coverage.  But mostly, there was a collection of pictures of clothes I loved that I wished I owned.

One, labeled Dressing for 2000, featured a floral tapestry skirt from the J. Peterman catalog. It’s perfectly stylish and appropriate today, I think. Don’t you?

dressing for 2000

 

 

2016 — a year of organizing

People who know me would probably use the word ‘organized’ somewhere in the first 10 describing me. I certainly wouldn’t dispute that. But there is always more to be done when it comes to being organized, especially when one tries to live a ongoing life of de-cluttering. As with so many things, being organized isn’t a static point; its more of a process and an ongoing journey.

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