I moved recently to New York City. I still say that even though I live in New Jersey. But I work in Manhattan, taking the PATH train into World Trade Center every morning (a topic for another day). Surely that entitles me to claim NYC rather than effin' Jersey, right?
And I can't really say "recently" since it will be a year next month. True, I didn't move in until December 6th - but I started my new job in October. Amazing.
People ask me the same inane question I've always asked people from Jersey - "What exit?" and then laughed. I had a friend in college named Pete Legato. He was from Jersey and his license plate said "Exit 4". It's the unofficial state joke for people who don't live in Jersey.
Truth is - I don't know what exit I live off of. The Turnpikes are The Other Direction. Away From Manhattan. I've only driven that way four times since I moved here. And now I don't drive anymore.
Downsizing from a three story townhouse in North Carolina to a one-bedroom apartment in Jersey City has been horrendous. Liberating. Awful. Cathartic. Literally ROOMS of furniture went to Habitat for Humanity. Boxes of clothes that I hadn't worn in years went to Goodwill. I gave away TVs and duplicate DVD players. I got rid of my piano. My sewing machine. My car.
When I moved into my apartment, I had already disposed of more than 2/3 of my stuff. I knew I had a lot of stuff, but I had no idea exactly how much. Even after getting rid of everything other than what I thought was Necessary - the apartment was literally floor to ceiling boxes when the movers left. I spent weeks opening boxes and throwing things out, giving stuff away, and (being Jersey) having things stolen. My bike lasted about two months. Gone.
Now I'm here almost a year, and I look around and think - "Dammit Michelle, you have WAY too much stuff."
Case in point - I'm doing dishes tonight and I open the cabinet where the pans are. And - the metal strainer falls out. AGAIN. There's a hook I stuck on the side of the cabinet to hang the strainers (note the plural) and despite that, one of them ALWAYS falls out. It's so agravating.
Why more than one? How much pasta or veggies do I need to strain? Can I wash berries without one? What if I need to do both at the same time? Truth is - I can strain veggies in the metal bowl strainer, strain spaghetti in the mesh strainer, wash berries in the collapsable rubber one and seive a sauce. That's right. FOUR. Ok - Five. I have a small one that's about the size of a 1/4 cup measure that was my grandmothers. I squeeze lemons or limes through it.
So this metal bowl strainer? That I bought when I stocked my new kitchen in Tulsa back in 1990? I threw it out. Yup - threw it out and immediately felt better.
What astonishes me about this move is that I am learning how few things I really need. How it's changed the way I shop...the way I read catalogs...how I thought getting rid of my car was the end of the world. That I was a failure because I could not afford to keep it. The truth is getting rid of it freed up a ton of money each month I was paying to keep a car I drove back and forth to the grocery store on weekends.
I went shopping for clothes this weekend. I've lost some weight and am tired of looking at a closet full of clothes that don't fit. Or I've had for years. Functional - but no longer fun. I wanted to feel pretty again.
There's this amazing store in Brooklyn. A subject for another post. But suffice to say, Saturday I bought some Wonderful Clothes that I feel FAB-ulous in. They are still in the bags in the hallway. There is no room in the closet to hang them up.
I have too much stuff.
And I can't really say "recently" since it will be a year next month. True, I didn't move in until December 6th - but I started my new job in October. Amazing.
People ask me the same inane question I've always asked people from Jersey - "What exit?" and then laughed. I had a friend in college named Pete Legato. He was from Jersey and his license plate said "Exit 4". It's the unofficial state joke for people who don't live in Jersey.
Truth is - I don't know what exit I live off of. The Turnpikes are The Other Direction. Away From Manhattan. I've only driven that way four times since I moved here. And now I don't drive anymore.
Downsizing from a three story townhouse in North Carolina to a one-bedroom apartment in Jersey City has been horrendous. Liberating. Awful. Cathartic. Literally ROOMS of furniture went to Habitat for Humanity. Boxes of clothes that I hadn't worn in years went to Goodwill. I gave away TVs and duplicate DVD players. I got rid of my piano. My sewing machine. My car.
When I moved into my apartment, I had already disposed of more than 2/3 of my stuff. I knew I had a lot of stuff, but I had no idea exactly how much. Even after getting rid of everything other than what I thought was Necessary - the apartment was literally floor to ceiling boxes when the movers left. I spent weeks opening boxes and throwing things out, giving stuff away, and (being Jersey) having things stolen. My bike lasted about two months. Gone.Now I'm here almost a year, and I look around and think - "Dammit Michelle, you have WAY too much stuff."
Case in point - I'm doing dishes tonight and I open the cabinet where the pans are. And - the metal strainer falls out. AGAIN. There's a hook I stuck on the side of the cabinet to hang the strainers (note the plural) and despite that, one of them ALWAYS falls out. It's so agravating.
Why more than one? How much pasta or veggies do I need to strain? Can I wash berries without one? What if I need to do both at the same time? Truth is - I can strain veggies in the metal bowl strainer, strain spaghetti in the mesh strainer, wash berries in the collapsable rubber one and seive a sauce. That's right. FOUR. Ok - Five. I have a small one that's about the size of a 1/4 cup measure that was my grandmothers. I squeeze lemons or limes through it.
So this metal bowl strainer? That I bought when I stocked my new kitchen in Tulsa back in 1990? I threw it out. Yup - threw it out and immediately felt better.
What astonishes me about this move is that I am learning how few things I really need. How it's changed the way I shop...the way I read catalogs...how I thought getting rid of my car was the end of the world. That I was a failure because I could not afford to keep it. The truth is getting rid of it freed up a ton of money each month I was paying to keep a car I drove back and forth to the grocery store on weekends.
I went shopping for clothes this weekend. I've lost some weight and am tired of looking at a closet full of clothes that don't fit. Or I've had for years. Functional - but no longer fun. I wanted to feel pretty again.
There's this amazing store in Brooklyn. A subject for another post. But suffice to say, Saturday I bought some Wonderful Clothes that I feel FAB-ulous in. They are still in the bags in the hallway. There is no room in the closet to hang them up.
I have too much stuff.
1 comment:
I found you!! And I love the blog!!! Don't feel alone....we all have too much stuff. Here's to being brave enough to get rid of it. Now, get to work on that closet, or I'll have to help you....
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