Yesterday, Sunday January 24, Carol and I responded to a neighbor’s request for help to unload a 26 foot UHaul truck into a new storage unit. Along with their children and grandchildren and several other Jojoba Hills members we got the job done in 3 hours. As we moved boxes and totes into storage, building a jigsaw puzzle of containers that should not move too much in an earthquake, we saw the product of years of not being able to let go of “things.” Boxes of fabrics for a variety of projects never done, toys that the kids, now in their 50’s had played with, clothes that were not worn out yet and boxes of books “to be read.” As we closed the door on the 25 foot deep storage unit there was not room for a person to stand inside.

Then today, I came across this blog post WheelingIt about the same issue. I had a feeling of superiority about all of this, we don’t have a storage unit. Uh, well, that is . .  . unless you count the 1475 square foot apartment we keep in Rochester to store our stuff. Admittedly we couldn’t stay over night in a storage unit, but we could rent a furnished place when we want to be in Rochester, for a whole lot less than the apartment costs. This year we expect to stay in the apartment for much of August and October, maybe. Our kids used it for 3 nights in December. The lease is up this August. What to do? My best guess is nothing for now, we have a lot of travel out of the US planned and dealing with storage will occupy too much energy we would rather devote to other things. At best guess we will continue the irrational storage plan for a couple more years.

This returns to the question posited in the title, what do we really need to keep. Ultimately we get to “keep” nothing, so a better question might be when do we choose to part with things. If we do nothing, our children will have the fun of deciding what they want to keep and who gets what. I am not being maudlin, when I sit at the solid oak dining table we bought from the craftsmen in 1972 I am sitting with memories from our families earliest years. The Eames lounge chair is almost as old. The art, the pieces that remain after our first down sizing, is evocative of a period of collecting and living with fine pieces. Taking pictures of these “things” will not satisfy my desire to look at and touch the actual things. The Photography Book collection too is not something that can be enjoyed in some virtual manner. Storing these things in a storage locker will not work. they need to be enjoyed in situ when we can be there. Storage for the collectible things needs to be climate controlled too. When the boys and their families have appropriate place to keep and enjoy these items I will feel better about letting them go. Although I speak as one, those who know us know that it is really the two of us together that will continue to wrestle with this issue.