About a year ago last December I was in charge of moving about 60 people from 4 different sites to one new consolidated location.
Every site had a site lead, including the one I personally worked at. They were the secretaries for the most part. Because I was managing the larger project, I was told that I would NOT have to manage the packing/purging of the site I worked at... that our secretaries (three) would do it.
I spent four weeks gently encouraging the staff to pack... to do a little bit at a time... Every day that went by made me more and more anxious because I knew if they didn't do it, I would be the one stuck with it...
The day before the moving truck was to come.... at 3pm (when the staff leave at 4), nothing was packed. The stationary cupboards were still overflowing with, well, stationary. The supply cabinets were jammed to the brim with supplies... it was not a good sight. I went in to my manager's office and had a minor freak out... and then she and I spent the next four hours packing... We, the two people who had the MOST to do based on the larger project, spent four hours packing the stuff the secretaries 'didn't have time for'.
I distinctly remember wanting to scream at the top of my lungs and start flinging things in a fit of rage... The whole while that we were packing I was ranting about how leaving things to the last minute only hurts yourself, how it was really inconsiderate of them not to do anything and how they had FOUR WEEKS to do this and we were doing it at the last second.
The reason that I tell you this story is because in the car this morning my friend asked me if I remembered how I felt about them not packing... About my anxiety over the weeks and weeks of non-action... that not even the stuff that never gets used was packed.... I said I did remember very well how that felt...
And then she yelled at me that she was feeling the same way about my apartment that I felt about the secretaries... that there's ELEVEN YEARS of stuff in that house that has to be processed and every time she hears that I've dicked around buying cupcakes and beach walking with Sam, it makes her more and more anxious...(I didn't tell her that I went to bed at 7:30 last night...)
And THEN... I got to thinking about it... The contents of this... the contents of that... oh and this.. AND THAT!... uh oh!
I've decided that it's probably not feasible to only pack when the cat is gone... I'm going to need to pack some now... gently... tidily... a box here and a box there... stacked into tidy piles that don't freak the little fuzzball out... So I'm starting tonight... I'm going to pack the big cabinet in the bonus area, whatever is under the bonus sofa and the bathroom cabinet. I'm also going to at least pull out the chair seats from under the other sofa (vacuum them off) and then see about recovering them maybe tomorrow...
If someone that knows me very well is worried about how little I've done (when really, I've done quite a lot), then perhaps it's time to step up the game... There are 15 sleeps till moving day...
4 comments:
15 sleeps? Um... yeah, unless you have an endless supply of boxes and truck space, you really need to be packing now. The movers that moved us from New York to Vancouver packed us in 2 days, but there were 3 of them, and because they had no emotional connection to any of our goods, they were able to just stand there and fill up the boxes. I'm guessing you won't be able to do that. ;)
Maybe if Charlie sees you packing, and that you're still there every night along with all the boxes, it will be like therapy for him... I've heard that if your dog gets separation anxiety, you're supposed to slowly train him to understand that you'll eventually always come back - so you start by putting on your coat and shoes and then just sitting in the room with him. Then after a while you start putting everything on and then walking to the door but not going out. Then you go out but just stand outside the door talking to him, then you leave for a minute or two before coming back. Eventually the dog gets so that he doesn't freak out when you put your coat and shoes on, and then he stops thinking he's been abandoned just because you've left the house for a bit. So you just need to figure out a way to make Charlie realise that moving is a good thing!
Have you told him about his new place? I wouldn't mention the bit about him becoming an indoor cat just yet... might want to leave that one for a little while. :)
PS: this came to mind when I was writing that post... ;)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiMqG68IlBw
It took them TWO DAYS??? TWO DAYS???????????
Holy bananas! People who had no attachment to your stuff took six man days to pack? Yipes!
Okay, so I will pack tonight...
I sort of agree with you about the packing... I think he'll do better when he gets to go to bed at night and I'm still there... and I come home from work every day... even tho there are boxes and things being put in them...
I have not told him about the new place... I am making him new feather toys and stuff tho... and Kathleen and Jay are making him (I think) a custom wood log scratch area with a bed on top...
And I just stopped by Pacific Angler and bought him feathers and bunny hide and a squirrel tail and I'm going to make him some toys...
Well, it was one day to pack, and one day to load everything into the truck. But yeah, six man days to do everything. And then there was our 1 long evening of pouring everything liquid down the drain so we could recycle the bottles of all the liquidy food items they wouldn't take... and the 2 hours it took me to haul(on the subway!) about 8 full and half-full bottles of wine and other alcohols from Harlem to Mid-town so I could give them to my friend rather than have to pay duty on them. You can live in the US for a whole year and yet the same import restrictions apply as if you went there on a one-week trip! Crazy!
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