Hi Friends,
I’m taking a break from the packing and selling mayhem to say hello. In my Freedom From “Stuff” post last week, I mentioned my sudden feeling that it was time to clean up and clear out. Out of Texas and straight to California. It was so cool how it happened. One morning last week I woke up, and I could feel that a big energy shift had taken place. I knew that now was the time to get going. That’s the day I found the article that led to writing “Freedom From ‘Stuff'”. Then, I went to the bedroom and stared at Mark until he woke up. As soon as his eyes started to peek open, I said excitedly, “Good! You’re up!” 🙂 I told him about my feeling, and he was all for it.
Later that day, I sat down for my tea time with Spirits. At the end of my 20 minutes, I thought I hadn’t received any messages. I had seen different images, but I brushed them off as inconsequential. Then I remembered that I always tell people to write down everything they get in meditation, even if it seems unimportant. So, I did. First, I wrote down the song that was playing in my head. It was an old Doo-Wop song, and the lyrics that kept repeating were, “Goodnight, sweetheart, well it’s time to go.” Then, I remembered seeing myself in a room empty of furniture. The lights were off, and everyone else had left the house except me. The front door was open, and beyond the door was bright sunlight and vibrant green leaves from a tree. When I wrote that down, especially the part about the room being empty of furniture, I realized it was a confirmation of my thought to sell all our furniture. It also meant it was time to move on. The house was empty, and it was time to leave because the promise of new opportunities was just outside the door. Finally, I saw a pool with a waterfall, and when I saw that I felt very peaceful. I felt that was a message to me to go with the flow, be at peace, a confirmation that everything was going to work out fine, and the idea of movement again. I was pleasantly surprised with my messages and glad I hadn’t discounted them.
Mark and I spent the day at our storage unit, moving all the furniture from the back to the front for easy access, and taking photos and measurements of everything. Then, I posted it all on craigslist. The past several days have been a whirlwind of activity as we replied to offers, drove back and forth to the storage unit, and sold lots of our furniture. On top of that, we sold furniture for my mom as well. This morning, after meeting another buyer, we agreed to spend the day relaxing. After all the activity, we deserve it!
As we sold each piece of furniture, I felt emotional. I didn’t understand why, but now I realize I’m feeling the emotion that comes with letting go of the old and beginning the new. I’m so excited that this is all really happening! I can feel it. I can feel and see that we’ll be moving to California soon, and everything is falling into place so quickly! Wow! I also had to remind myself that my memories are in me, not in the furniture. The furniture we’re selling is the first furniture Mark and I bought together. My consolation is that the families who have bought it have been so kind and obviously very nice people. I feel better knowing our furniture is going to have a new life in another loving home.
However, there is one item…a set actually…that I haven’t posted yet. I cried when I was taking the photos of it. It’s our Art Deco vintage table, chairs, and China cabinet. It is such cool furniture! I feel the love in the craftsmanship, and the table has a super cool mechanism called a Watertown Slide. Gears underneath the table unfold the hidden leaf when a metal ring is pulled. It’s so cool! They just don’t make tables like that anymore. The other part of the story is that we bought it from an amazing family. The mother homeschooled her two little boys, so the table had crayon marks, one of the chairs has a couple of stickers on it, the drawers of the China cabinet had bits of cereal and construction paper in them…it came filled with love and memories. She said they had used the table to do their homework and roll out cookie dough, paint pictures, and eat breakfast every morning. Awww….I’m crying again. Can’t you understand why though? I’ve pictured refinishing it someday. I love unique furniture. Here are some photos. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but we loved it for its quality, memories, and uniqueness. We’ve talked about keeping it, and if we do, I can see using it as a craft table, recovering the chairs, and storing crafts, paints, and sewing supplies in the China cabinet.
Do you have any sentimental pieces of furniture? What makes a piece of furniture so special to you that you don’t want to part with it? Any advice on moving across the country?
I hope your days are as sunny and beautiful as ours have been in Texas!
Melanie Jade (aka emotional teary lady)