moving

This weekend is all about clearing, sorting, filtering, discarding; and then sorting and setting up.
This weekend we are moving whatever we can physically manage and that is nearly everything except for the fridge and washing machine.

The place I am vacating (the old place) is in a mess and I guess so is the new place during this time of transition. I must say that my friends must think that I have gone mad, with me giving away so much of my stuff, or throwing them out. They just can’t understand it. “How are you going to live?”, “What if you need it in the future?” Well, there are people living with less (financially and materially) and if I do need it in the future, then I better make sure that I really do need it before purchasing it.

While it can be painful and difficult, reducing material possession can be really worth the pain that one goes through and also the times stressful deliberations.

The one thing that kept playing over and over again in my mind yesterday is that I wish I am financially secured and well-off RICH enough to pay someone to do all the moving for me. Oh I don’t mind the packing but the carrying, heaving, lifting from one place to another is a terrifyingly back-breaking business. That is one promise I made to myself; in that the next move I want to be in a position where I will not have to do so much on my own.

As much as it will be easy and comfortable for me to remain in Melbourne for more years to come, I really do feel that it is time to leave even if it is only temporarily. But I too am conflicted. When will I settle down and not really have to continuously move? I think I do yearn for some kind of stability – at least geographical where I can set roots and have a home that I can truly call mine.

lying low

I have managed to find another apartment to move to. Actually it is in the same building but just the other side of this large building. So the layout, fittings and even colour scheme is exactly the same except that it is about 15% smaller in proportion in every room. Ironically, the rent per month for the entire place is nearly $600 more than what we are paying – that is $300 more per month each.

My bedroom will be much smaller.

So in an effort to down-size, I decided to sell my queen-size bed (for a song or peanuts depending on your persuasion). In fact it was sold last night less than 12 hours of me putting up the ad online.

Without a replacement, I had to sleep on a double-bed air mattress. I am literally lying low on the floor supported only by the undulating contours of the mattress. While that might sound great, it is actually not that comfortable because my back can actually feel the rise and dips of the uneven mattress even though I have wrapped it up with 2 layers of material. Further, air is cold! I can actually feel the cold air.

of course I didn’t sleep very well but I assume I will get used to it eventually. My back is sore and I am busy hunting the ads to buy a smaller bed.