Peanutbutter sandwich and Herbal Tea: A Tale of Purging and Reorganization

Before we set out for the baby shower yesterday afternoon, Sarah came over to peruse all the books I'd set apart to donate to The Bookthing, and took about five of them for herself. We put the rest in her car and dropped them off at the charity headquarters. Then, we went to Karen's house to get an entertainment center she wanted to give Sarah (Karen is also purging because she's moving); we had to take it apart to get it in the car. Karen's roommate was looking to unload a bookshelf (smallish), so she gave it to me. It ended up fitting very well in the backseat.

We brought the bookshelf back to my place, and then headed to our old neck of the woods (I refer to my years in Montgomery county as my period of exile) for the baby shower. I was glad that I didn't feel awkward and out of place as I tend to feel at events like that. I used to call them "woman rituals," and I think I felt that I stuck out like a sore thumb because I despised my own femininity for a long time.

It also helps that I always feel at home among this particular group of women, so I guess it stands to reason that I didn't have any anxiety.

When Sarah brought me back home today, I dove immediately into the act of deciding which books to put on the new shelf, which I earmarked to go into my bedroom. Bookshelves serve a beautiful dual purpose. Not only do they house one's literature, but they are ready made surfaces for things like photograhps and candles. I was also able to unpack a few more things and display them for this reason.

I am very fortunate to have a free storage space in the basement of my building; I decided to unpack the four boxes I had remaining, and put everything I was not going to unpack, or for which I did not have room in the apartment, in two of those four boxes, taped them back up, and carted them downstairs for safekeeping. I threw the other boxes out.

I'm not sure what brought this on, but I also put the photos in my photobox into some type of relative order--by era of my life--and called it a day.

I found a few things to take to the office--that I didn't want to throw away, but that don't really fit the tone of my place. I also came upon a poem I wrote a few years ago that I'd been wondering about off and on. I thought it was lost. Small steps and giant leaps.

I'm now eating a peanutbutter sandwich, drinking herbal tea, and looking forward to getting my hair done on Friday, which is payday, and sushi with Gordon.