20 Things I’m Learning About Moving

…& about everything else, too

1.     I cannot part with a good tote. I will be buried with my good totes—and it will be crowded because there are A LOT of them. I can be persuaded to part with the medium ones and the downright bad ones—too thin/flimsy, too small, straps too narrow. But a nice heavy fabric? A structured bottom? Pry them out of my cold, dead hands—or more specifically, watch me as I pare down my wardrobe ruthlessly but then haul 97 good totes to a new borough. A friend who is a professional organizer insists that everyone has one or two secret hoard-y categories, no matter how vocally they insist that they’re minimalists or love to purge, and 100% good totes are mine.

The other area, which will surprise absolutely no one: serving dishes. At this point I’ve been very good at letting go of whole sets of dishes with each move, but I will not be parted with cute bowls, little pitchers, brightly patterned platters for sandwiches, bowls for a festive pile of meatballs. Don’t even get me started on enamelware, because when outdoor happy hour became a major part of our gathering routine, I apparently bought every piece of enamelware on the East Coast, and now it’s all in our tiny Brooklyn kitchen. Uh oh. Please don’t tell my professional organizer friend!

2.     The things people say out loud in full voice walking down the street is ASTOUNDING, and very very entertaining. New York City is an eavesdropper’s heaven. The weather is so absolutely lovely right now and our little front…yard? patch? area?...is my favorite place to write, and what people say at full volume while on phone calls with airpods is WOW.

Also: does everyone talk on the phone this much? I feel like almost everyone who walks by is chatting with a friend or maybe their mom. It’s very sweet, really. (But also: maybe fewer personal medical details?! OMG)