Moving
by Warren Bull
We are getting ready to move from
Kansas City, Missouri to Portland, Oregon. We just put our house on the market. A photographer is coming this morning
to take pictures for the listing.
We have been busy hiding all signs
of human habitation. Family photos
are permitted but unwashed dishes, open books, or anything related to eating,
excreting, and laundry should be out of sight.
I suppose the idea is to allow
potential buyers to fantasize about how they would fit in the space without
reminding them of the fact that messy people already live here. Viewers may
have a different work process than my — leave everything I will need on the
floor close to the computer so I can grab it as needed — system.
To me it looks like someone has put
my belongings into a house that resembles the one I used to live in, but
clearly it is not mine. It is too
manicured and orderly. We have been notified that when someone wants to view
the house we are obligated to skedaddle.
When I want something, I have to remember if it is something to be
hidden or something allowed to be visible. If it is hidden, I have to remember which hiding spot it is
in so I can retrieve it. I am
trying to develop the habit of returning what I exhumed to its hiding place so
cleaning and fleeing are easier.
Preparing the presentation was
tiring. Although we have been
throwing things away and donating whatever someone else might like for the last
couple of years, we had/still have entirely too much stuff. Could I interest you in a slightly shabby
couch?
If nothing else, Warren, making your house seem like someone else's home helps you separate emotionally from it. It's hard leaving a place that has been a large part of your life. When moving, I always found that once our things were removed from our house, it was a lot easier to leave it. You are going on to the next chapter in your life. Good luck with your move, and I hope you will be very happy in your new home.
ReplyDeleteThe only good move is a complete move. Best of luck with the process, Warren. Enjoy Portland.
ReplyDelete~ Jim
I agree with Grace. Once your house has been neutralized and stripped of personal items, you no longer live there.
ReplyDeletePortland sounds great, Warren. With great change comes great opportunity. Did someone say that?
ReplyDeleteI won't take the couch, but can I interest you in a piano? Talk about hard to give away…
Best wishes for much happiness in your new home.
Warren, this is why my moving days are over. I'll only leave my home on a stretcher or in a casket. I've lived in 6 places before this - one for only several weeks - and none more than
ReplyDelete5 or 6 miles from where I grew up. However, I'm sure you'll enjoy Oregon and being near to your family. It's a beautiful state.
Portland sounds wonderful, Warren. Best of luck with the move and may it go smoothly for you.
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain, Warren. We aren't as far along in the process, but next year we will be. I'm not looking forward to it for all the reasons you've stated. Good luck--bet you'll love Portland. Is there a SinC Chapter nearby?
ReplyDeleteWhen I've moved, I'm usually tempted to torch my old place because my closets insist on breeding stuff as if they were rabbits. Hang in there.
ReplyDeleteWe'll miss you at Border Crimes, Warren. KC's loss is Portland's gain, and I envy your move to the Pacific Northwest. We were privileged to live there in the 1970s. (no yearly invasions of tornadoes!!!)
ReplyDeleteAs a lifelong military-gypsy until we moved to KC, I know all too well the process of moving. Despite that, I've never had to sell a house I was living in--military authorities frown on people in quarters trying to make a buck on the deal. With all the tension of enforced order so that it doesn't look as if you live there, I hope your house sells soon. I'd come up to have a look, but, like, we've got this house here ...
Best wishes on your journey.
Warren, I feel your pain. We have moved several times, and I hate it.
ReplyDeleteI have a cousin who lives in Portland, OR. What made you decide to move there? Just curious. My cousin has been there many years and loves it.
Good luck with the sale of your house and your move.