Editing

The problem with having lived in seven different places over an eleven year marriage (I even left out a few of the shorter stops in our adventure) is that when you finally settle down into the house that you believe with all your heart is “the one”, your furniture, acquired among four states for houses and apartments that span the styles of at least ten decades, might not fit.  And when I say it might not fit, I mean it both literally and figuratively, as in the sectional sofa that would be perfect for our den/family room in the attic, but won’t budge up even the first half of two flights of stairs, or the mid-century modern swivel chairs that are just all wrong in your Victorian era house.  I think we have an eclectic style and we’re able to make many, if not most, pieces work somewhere in our home, but there are pieces that we treasure and adore that just do not make a good fit in this house, in this space.  And if this space is “the one”, then maybe those pieces aren’t the ones.

My beloved swivel chairs that came from my Grandmother and Grandfather’s house have been sent along for a new life at my brother’s new house, along with a table my Grandfather made to go with them.  They are fantastic chairs, but they will have to be fantastic over there, rather than here.  The sectional sofa is also going to have to find some new fannies to enjoy its comforting folds,   since it eats up all of the light and space in our formal dining room turned family room.  I dream of a white slip-covered, apartment sized sofa and a spindly rocking chair for that space.  Also on the potential chopping block are three armoires, an extra twin bed, a red vinyl wing-backed chair, and a sideboard.  I am not convinced that any needs to go - yet - but I am learning that it is ok to edit, to scale back what we have so that our house continues to feel airy, with breathing room and space in which to dance with our little ones.  While I believe that our living spaces are meant to evolve around our lives, I also know that we cannot hold onto everything forever.  For the first time I am trying not to stow pieces in the garage and basement for the future perfect house in which to use them,  because I think we are here, in our perfect house, already.