Packing up an entire house, with the belongings of 3 people in no small thing. And the house gets messy when you are throwing around boxes and arranging items securely so they don’t shift or break. Boxes are everywhere, stuff is everywhere as we try to organize what should go in which box. And we are packing so there is not much time for actual housework.
And then I get the call. The property management company wants to show the house to a potential renter. She makes the appointment time and now it is time for a frenzied cleaning spree. You never realize how much of slobs you are until you are packing up and living in the same space while working full time and trying to have a life. All of the sudden it was dusting, vacuuming, cleaning, organizing, folding and actually putting the laundry away. Not to mention arranging the boxes into a manner where you can see the floor and do not have to walk a narrow walk way. Getting all the cat fur and dust bunnies from underneath the bed and out of the corners. Wiping off counters and cleaning bathrooms.
I realized in that moment; in that moving, cleaning, OMG, we have been so busy we have not had time to do this moment, we had become temporary slobs.
And the house will be shown, and while it won’t be perfect – the know we are in the middle of packing – it will look decent. This little house that has been our home, that has been such a blessing and rescued all of us in one way or another. Leaving is bittersweet – this is the first house in a long time that truly felt like home. And I felt it from the moment I looked at it. It has been a space filled with love, and promise, and my first Thanksgiving celebration, and family, and memories and so much love, it’s hard to believe a building can hold so much.
And now we move to another home, this one bigger, with more space for Dad, and better commutes to work. But still that little house will always be one of my favorites. And we will continue packing, then unpacking, and probably being slobs until we are settled into the new house. And that’s OK, because we are in order where it counts – our priorities, our love for each other, our commitment to each other and this little family – my boyfriend, my father and me. Life can get messy, but as long as we have each other, it will all work out in the end. And it’s OK to be the slobs next door – for now.
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