A little help from my friends...

Here's something you may not know about me. I hate unpacking.

Last week Ryan forced me to help unpack the living room, kitchen & enough of the bedrooms to be able to sleep & have clothes to wear. After that, I began cleaning. Cleaning was the fun alternative to unpacking the boxes we had shoved into the 3rd bedroom. Where I had closed the door & promised to maybe never return until we needed to actually put another person in there. Dusting & toilets were looking good compared to boxes & packing paper. Why do they use all that paper anyway??

I have been blessed w a friend who 'says' she 'likes' to unpack. I'm not quite sure. That just doesn't really make sense, does it?? Regardless of whether she likes it or not, she is certainly efficient. She keeps offering to help me unpack. I keep taking the help bc, who are we kidding, I need it. But I can't say I would ever do the same thing. I might volunteer to watch someones kid, make them a meal, even break down boxes. But would I offer to help unpack someone. No, probably I would not. This is why. Here is a little example of how Courtney unpacks & how I unpack.

Courtney: In the course of about 25 minutes, she has unpacked & made me at least semi organize 5-7 boxes. She has designated piles. Throw away, keep, give away. This isn't a foreign concept to me. I know how to do it, I choose to not do it. I get overwhelmed. I have a story for everything I have. I might need it later. Someone might need it... I don't know. She leaves & I feel quite proud of all that we've accomplished! Look at me - I unpacked!

Me: In the course of about 25 minutes I unpack & break down a pretty small box. Actually it might have already been sort of unpacked & only have hangers in it. I am feeling confident tho. I survey the room & decide on a box wedged in the closet. Don't ask why. I can fit my shoulders thru the door enough to open the box & see what's inside. My worst nightmare. Puzzles, toys, clutter, mess. I see a couple of things I should definitely donate even tho I can rationalize keeping them, so I put them in their 'pile'. Then I see the small Coach bag Mimi decorated in Nov w red fingernail polish. What to do w this? It's expensive, but kinda wrecked. I wouldn't carry it like this. Can you get fingernail polish out after a few months? Wonder if I have any cleaning solution I could try. I should ask Ryan bf I just give it away anyway, it was expensive. But again, I wouldn't carry it like this. I bring the bag in the kitchen & then decide I'd rather write a blog about unpacking, rather than actually unpack. But I feel myself building steam again. I feel Courtney inside my head saying, "What are you doing w that stuff?? Throw it away! I would throw it away!" Ok, I hear you. But...