Reflections on packing

I’m in the process of going through all the stuff I’ve collected over the past few years and deciding on the very few items that I’m keeping. Transporting things back to America is going to be expensive and a hassle, so I’m really being vicious about the selection and chucking out A LOT of stuff (or giving the good stuff away to folks around here).

I can’t believe how many “memories”—in the forms of letters, pictures, notes, etc., I have tucked away in boxes and folders and drawers. Cleaning out and packing is taking forever because every 5 minutes I’m stopping to read something and drift off for a while to another time and place. Calendar books are especially powerful because I can see the dates of birthdays, parties, and events and remember who I was then, what I was doing, and what I was planning.

Heaven forbid I find an old love note…those launch me into a kaleidoscope of sensations and a feeling of forgotten joy and a little sadness. So much has happened in 3 years…I have become a different person in many ways…all of them positive.

A few more adventures await…and one more week of work. I’m going to miss my students do much!!!