"Actually this is just a place for my stuff, ya know? That's all, a little place for my stuff. That's all I want, that's all you need in life, is a little place for your stuff, ya know? I can see it on your table, everybody's got a little place for their stuff. This is my stuff, that's your stuff, that'll be his stuff over there. That's all you need in life, a little place for your stuff. That's all your house is: a place to keep your stuff. If you didn't have so much stuff, you wouldn't need a house. You could just walk around all the time. A house is just a pile of stuff with a cover on it." (Material written and owned by George Carlin. )
We've been asked to start an inventory the stuff we want to ship over to Hong Kong. The stuff that we absolutely, without a doubt, need to have, have to have access to for the next three years. Our very favorite stuff.
Several years ago after some large-scale world disaster, I remember seeing a woman on the news who lost her home and was living in a tent city. She was telling the reporter that she had learned that you really need very little to live, just a shelter over your head, a little food and clothes on your back. And she's basically right. Those are the necessities; the rest just make things convenient, make our lives easy, or at least easier.
Walking through our house, room by room has been an eye-opening experience. Because there is a chance of damage in transport, we've been advised not to take any "collectibles". We're not taking any furniture or anything that will weigh down our shipment. They are running on a different electrical system over there so we'll take very little stuff with a plug. So, what stuff do we take? The challenge is to make our home in Hong Kong a familiar and functional place for our family, most importantly for our children, while meeting a shipping limit, considering a smaller living space and leaving appropriate space to acquire new "treasures".
I've literally walked into rooms in this house and said, "nothing". There is nothing in this specific room that I absolutely want or need to have for three years. In the living room, the only thing I chose was the martini shaker hidden in our wine cabinet. The dining room, nothing really. Maybe the silver framed photos of the kids on the buffet table. But there are other rooms that have been very difficult. The kitchen, a.k.a. my domain, I need everything; I use everything! But maybe I can just make do with two cookie sheets and I can get by without wire cooling racks, but all those kitchen utensils have to come because I am not running all over an unfamiliar town looking for a pair of salad tongs.
The hardest rooms to take stock are the kids' rooms. As practical as I can be, I realize that their rooms are filled with their treasures. Reagan may have not touched that dollhouse in months, but what if she gets the itch to play with it next April? Tripp's not really into that remote control bigfoot truck right now, but I'm sure by Christmas he's going to love that thing. And what if we store some toys here in the states and when they return 36 months later, they've moved on, outgrown that stuff? It's like part of their childhood lost. But I console myself by saying they will be able to say things like "Remember when we walked on the Great Wall?" and they'll decorate their room with Mickey Mouse from Disney Hong Kong. And surly there are toys in China, right? Aren't most toys made in China to begin with? As of late, Reagan has begun to ask me questions like "Can I take my jewerly box to China?" and I say "Of course!". But I also realize there is a delicate balance in packing up the kids. Too much imput and they'll take it all. Too little and we may leave some stuff behind that is invaluable to a five and two year old.
So, as I go through my little Hong Kong notebook with Gene, and he nods and "umm hmmms" in agreement with the selections I've made, I've come to realize that we've spent almost 13 years acquiring this stuff to make our house a home, but at the heart of it all, the most important stuff to be transported to Hong Kong are Laura, Eugene, Reagan, Tripp and Inca the dog. And as long as this "stuff" sticks together, we're going to be just fine.
Good thoughtful post. Thanks for sharing this part of your lives.
ReplyDelete