Taking Stock

FMM: 2 mi

Hello, Ladies (I hope there are at least a few of you who can still call yourselves one!) and Gentlemen,

Have you moved lately? If so, you'll know just what I'm talking about. When you move, you are forced to take stock of your stuff and yourself. You are reminded - sometimes painfully - of what you did and didn't and didn't accomplish. As I've reluctantly emptied the just-in-case-the-water-goes-off-again jugs of water from my bathroom and cleared the refrigerator and the shelves by serving a meal of two pork chops, a bowl of leftover spaghetti, half a bag of nondescript vegetables, and a bag of rice, I've been ruminating. Ruminating or reading books when I should be watching pots has caused me to burn many a dinner; nonetheless, they have led to great moments of self-discovery. I now understand Depression Era Hoarding Syndrome, something suffered by my mother and my aunts. Why did they hang onto countless piles of plastic lids, rubber bands, and scraps of paper? You never know when you might need them. I have hoarded and needed all of the above this year. What else have I learned? Well, I've learned that my sister's adage "In the end, people do what they want to do." is true. Although I brought financial information to read and act upon here and even created a spreadsheet on such before I came, I have yet in 10 months found the time to read it or act upon anything. Nor have I completed the cross stitch Donna sent me, sewn up the hole in my "Bucky" neck pillow so I can take it on the plane, lost twenty pounds, or completed the crossword books Mary sent me. As I claimed to be organizing my bin last night, I ended up rereading and answering a Christmas card, sending a birthday card 6 mos late, replying to a letter from Sister Johnella, my childhood teacher, and reading clippings I had cut out to read "later". What can I say? I am rarely doing what I say I am doing. Just ask my family. If anyone asked, I would say I am packing right now... Yesterday Nancy and I ate lunch at the Shelbourne Hotel, visted museums, and stopped at Starbucks for a finale... Today I really am going to pack and check a few things off my list. At least when I finish blogging, and checking my e-mail (surely one of you is up at 3:45 AM e-mailing me?), and my favorite websites, and....................

Lying but trying,
I remain
Tizzie/Tiz/Tizmom/Mom/Liz/Elizabeth