Today I got a very special treat. While consolidating 20 boxes of "Misc Office" stuff, I found the packet of souvenirs from the trip we all took to Disney World when LH was three. It really was the time of our lives. Make A Wish Foundation granted us the wish to go to Orlando for a week and they covered everything, from flight and hotel (Give Kids The World is a whole different experience!) to food, cash, and even a night out by ourselves. Looking at all the photos and trinkets was just what I needed to make me smile. That is why I keep that sort of thing. So I can look back at it all and feel good.
This whole part of the packing process has been a walk down memory lane for me. Whenever we move, the computer desk is always the last to go, so we normally shove everything from the desktop and drawers into a box and label it "Office Stuff." Usually, these boxes get misplaced or we'll grab what we need from them and never really unpack the rest. So, now I still have a box or two of items gathered from each of the office spaces place we've lived over the past seven years. Since I am finally getting around to sorting and consolidating, I can see a snapshot of what was important to me at that time. Some boxes are full of Mary Kay sales tips and leads. I have lost count of the work lanyards with Company ID Tags dangling from the end of them. Other boxes have mostly bills and pictures created by the kids. My favorite part is getting to see the "family portraits" grow from three stick figures, to four, and then to five, with a black dog wearing a red collar.
Throwing away or recycling the vast majority of the paper has reduced the amount that I am actually packing to take with us. Still, I have gathered a gallon-sized-bag full of business cards and names with numbers scribbled on papers. There is another bag - even more full - of Christmas cards, birthday cards, and party invites. It seems silly to keep them all, but when it comes time to send out Christmas cards (yeah, right!) or invites to our own parties, it helps to know who has invited my kids to parties in the past. Plus, I have the phone number and address right there to help me track them down. My hope is that once we are settled in, I will be able to go through all these stacks and make a list (or database) of friends, family, and business contacts. It might seem daunting to someone else, but I do data entry for a living. I am good at it and I like to do things that I am good at.
I have a bunch of open boxes sitting in my office area right now. Most of them are full of office supplies and art work sorted into their own spaces. As far as I know, I have gone through all of the "Misc Office" boxes dating all the way back to our first rushed move over seven years ago. I really need to put a lid on them, mark them, and put them in the car to go, but I really don't want to. Once I have officially finished this sorting process, I have to move on to the next item on the To Do List (the kitchen) and that will not be nearly as much fun. I would MUCH rather stay nestled in a pile of memories and wrapped in the smiles artfully scribbled in red crayon.
Is this why people scrap book? I finally get it!
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