Markey Writes

What is it about moving that is so fascinating and yet at the same time, so daunting. Perhaps it is the feeling of starting something new, the freshness of a new apartment or, maybe, it is the endless hours of unpacking and organizing that you know lie ahead. It can be a new stage in your life – packing up the old to make room for the new. It is also a time of purging, of going through all those old trinkets and seeing what will make the cut to the new apartment or house.

For myself, I tend to collect. Not to the point of hording, but, if I am being honest, I have a lot of stuff. In a situation of “will I be using this at some point in the future?” I will always side on the cautionary. Even if there is only the slightest chance of yes being the answer, I will hold onto that precious item of future consideration.

Recently, my partner and I merged our apartments together. In this process, I was confronted by the reality of my ‘stuff’. While attempting to purge I came across so many things that I had thought, as some stage in my life thus far, important to hold on to: a program from a ballet that I went to as a child, old bus tickets, letters and cards, diaries, and many pairs of childhood ballet shoes and leotards. I, of course, did not get rid of them all as I want to be able to share some of these memories with my children, but really, does one need to hold onto the old bus ticket? I think not.

The process was also cathartic. It allowed me to rid myself of things that were part of a former shade of who I was. My living space is now not merely a reflection of me, but rather me in a relationship with an-other. There is, to a certain extent, an identity shift that occurs upon cohabitation. It’s not the same as living with a roommate because now, every room in the house is shared. I must learn to let go of some of my ‘stuff’ and he, in turn must learn to live with it. There is a fine balance that is created in this process. Not as in a fine line that could be crossed, but like a fine wine – the structure of how it looks, smells and tastes weaves together this beautiful complexity. It is through this complexity that the harmony among all the flavours and smells is found. And, as with a great wine, when that perfect balance is found, it is truly magical.

For now, I will store my treasured items for future consideration.