Unpacking

The boxes and bags of stuff were not moving anywhere as the cleaning began in the cluttered room. Cate walked around the piles trying to figure out where to start her process. The order was important to make the process easier with the step-by-step method in the dusty room. The task would be daring, and yet the place needs to be clear and a free room for an office. The adventure begins as the picture came into view of what it would look like when it’s clean. The old version was pretty till it became the junk room. All the stuff had been piling up and ignored until now. The whole room needed to be sorted first, then placed. The time to clean had begun, and Cate was ready for the challenge of cleaning up .

The first box was pulled out and gently opened. The contents were just extra clothes that had seemingly disappeared ages ago. Each shirt with its odd designs and styles was a reminder of the days when life seemed so easy and figured out. The rock t-shirts always made her mom mad, but was that not the point? Some for rebellion and others for making her parents happy. Slowly, they were all refolded and put into the donation bin, except for a few favorites. Each shirt has its own memories, and they should be kept. They were thrown in the keep pile as the box was discarded. This felt good till Cate went over to the room, and it was still full.

The next box was grabbed, fell apart as it was lifted. The books fell everywhere, to the dismay of Cate. Now this box was going to be more difficult than expected. The books were heavy enough anyway, with the titles read a long time ago. Still here they are as she started to sort through them all. The old titles, such as Pride and Prejudice, have their worn-out pages. The days that seemed so simple were great. Each book was an adventure into another world. Now they lay in boxes since the adult world was more complicated. The escape was real from those problems that seemed too complex. Books like Treasure Island flooded her memory of her father reading it to her. Those years are gone, as was her father. All the books had memories, but she stared at them as if she decided to keep them or not. It was one of those things that hang around, but does she need them? Yet, getting rid of them would cost so much of her memories from her youth. This was joy and entertainment when life was simple.

With the undecided pile aside, the next box was pulled out with another heavy one. This seemed unknown. The box was slowly opened to reveal the dishes. The ones her mother gave her so long ago when she moved out. Each one was still in place, sitting silently as she recalled her mother's words. Cate could only regret not calling her for a long time. The last words were so harsh and unnecessary. The anger did not help as the division continued. She had gotten busy and just forgotten to care. Maybe she should call, but the dishes still lay in their paper and were brought to the kitchen for actual use. The memories seem to be rushing back, and she wishes for her mother’s home-cooked meals. Cate could only want to call just to hear her voice, but life was just so busy. Maybe on the weekend, Cate could finally give her mother another chance. Her mom just seemed to want to protect in the end.

The boxes were becoming harder to open as the room seemed to hold memories and artifacts of the past. The next box was pulled out of the room, leaving the corner almost clear. It was a light box, opened to find its contents. The folders were piled up and labeled by subject. Underneath the folders were a few college notebooks. They were filled with notes and papers. The long-lost ones of learning. The scribbled notes and the anxiety of getting all the projects done. The stress of those days flooded Cate’s mind. A job makes all those notes so easy, and the mistakes do not cost you as much. The many notebooks were a time that needed to be forgotten. Cate could only want to throw such a time away. The usefulness of these was short-lived. The information was going to be gone. Cate just sat, growing weary of the boxes, but they had to be cleaned.

Another box was needed to at least make some more room. It was heavy, but it had to be done. The box was of journals from all those years. It was all random order, but more memories flooded the room. All the words of my feelings are growing back to the rebellious teenage years. It seems that the problems then were only small compared to now. Cate could only remember the old memories when her parents were just too strict. Now the world seemed as dangerous as they described. Each one was a day forgotten but worth looking back on. So many words and how time has changed. Cate only wished she could have those problems now. As she put the journals in the keep pile, it was getting late.

The day was almost done as Cate looked at the amount cleared in the room. There was a release of remembering and yet of loss. Emotions were high as she simply sat with her piles. Each item seemed to have some kind of memory, and yet there was so much. She knew some had to go, but the memories wore her down. Cate could only rise to fix herself some dinner. The stuff lay in piles waiting for decisions. This was supposed to be an easy task, but it proved much more difficult than expected. Another set of days will be needed for the rest of the room. Enough time was spent, and so much more to think about the items we keep. A room so cluttered was full of the memories that seemed most difficult to clean out.