Hello Dear Readers,
It’s been a big week.
The movers arrived yesterday.
It was raining.
Our contractor was still working on door trim.
The moving crew carried 40 book boxes - - but we have no shelves.
I unwrapped objects from re-usable moving containers.1
Most of the stuff has no home in our unfinished kitchen…
And I throw packing paper into a pile in the front hall.
An hour after the workmen and the movers left,
sun streamed through our new front door.
It only lasted a few minutes, but there it was, an invitation to explore…
…and relief.
There are light and shadows here as well.
All this paper…and 28 - 30 million people moving every year in the US.2
Does it get recycled?
So much energy embodied in our move…
But before sadness consumes, texture and shapes captivate.
A moment transformed.
It’s going to be OK.
As always, thank you for sharing your time and this space with me.
With gratitude for you being you,
Lyn
PS - - Thank you to all The Gusset readers who have been inspired to subscribe to 13 Tons of Love. While Sarah spends her time weaving a life with fiber, I hang out with materials of all kinds - - especially those that have been discarded - - and tell stories about them with words and photographs. So glad to have you here!
Always happy for responses to my work.
Oh, and if you are inspired, please share 13 Tons of Love with family and friends you think might be interested - - I’m hoping to reach 300 subscribers by the end of the year..
We worked with Move-U New Hampshire - - And they have re-usable plastic tubs. The only catch is that you have to unpack quickly so they can use them with others…So even though I’d like to take my time unpacking, we need to ensure the boxes are available for others…so we’re just putting stuff wherever we can for now - - Baking dishes on top shelves…pots and pans all mixed up in the drawers. Oh well. It feels good to finally be settling in.
28.2 million Americans moved in 2022. Over the past five years, from 2018 to 2021, U.S. Census data showed that the number of movers decreased from 32.4 million individuals moving in 2018 to just over 27 million in 2021—a drop of around 1.6 million people yearly. It seems strange that our move feels like such a big deal, when it happens all the time. But individual experiences are real and relevant. A micro-moment in a macro world.
My impulse would be to run this paper through a shredder and add it to my compost. Would this action be an environmental net benefit or the opposite??