I Still Have Unpacked Boxes

"I still have boxes from our last move that I haven't unpacked"

When I tell someone what I do for a living, I am usually met with one or two reactions:

1. Have you seen the show Hoarders? or

2. We moved X years ago and I still have unpacked boxes sitting in my X storage area.

If I'm asked about Hoarders, then I affirm that yes I have seen the show and yes I have worked with them.

If the latter comment is mentioned, then I love how they entertain the unpacked boxes. They usually say something like, "I just want someone to come in and take it all! If I haven't needed it yet, then clearly I don't need it at all!"

I bait them a little with my common response, "You know, a local charity would be happy to come out and pick it up for you. Do you want me to help you find one?"

The back peddling begins, "well I'm not quite ready for that. I need to go through the boxes as there are a few things I want to keep that belonged to my X relative. Once I do that, then I will let them go."

That tiny little story will keep those boxes from ever being unpacked.

Why?

Because if they really (and I mean REALLY) wanted the stuff, then they would have gone through the boxes already.

Actions speak louder than words.

The stuff really isn't that important or necessary but the idea of not having a final survey and therefore a final say before watching it hauled off is repulsive. It feels disrespectful.

So the disrespect leads to the burdensome task of holding on to multiple boxes partially filled with things we want and the rest filled with things we think we don't want. But who the heck wants to actually go through them and unpack them.

ME - but that is an obvious answer. Not many, and probably not you either. To do so would require:

1 .a chunk of time, ideally a sizeable chunk

2. available space in the garbage container for the trash

3. space in the room to pull out the boxes and unpack them

4. the willingness to make a huge mess in the process

5. the knowledge of where to take the stuff once you know you don't want it

6. energy

7. capacity to make these decisions over and over as we talk ourselves out of the stories that tell ourselves

See where we get stuck?

If this is you, then I want to encourage you to call me (or another organizer).

Don't let your precious home be overrun with stories and stuff.

We will get it done and I will make it fun - pinky swear nothing crossed.