Here at my office in Quincy, we are on the move again. I’ve been with
the company since 1995, and I estimate that I’ve moved at least 11 times in my
tenure here. This time the move is a big one.
Although our office is only
moving a couple of miles down the road, I, like many others, am also downsizing
from an office to a much smaller cubicle.
My coworkers are urging me to pack, pack, pack! And although
the move is still 7 days away, they have left me both a dumpster as well as a
large pile of packing crates outside my door. I get the hint!
I freely admit that I’m a “stuff” person. My office is
filled with family photos, pug memorabilia, an assortment of client mementos as
well as my world famous shoe collection (eat your heart out Imelda!). Today,
I’ve started the process by looking at my files. I have thrown out my expense
reports from 2006-2009 as well as my old calendars. But how do I part with the
ceramic angel that my niece made me when she was three?
My friend Joan faces a similar issue as she prepares to move
her 80-year old Mom from her 4-bedroom house to a 2-bedroom apartment in a
retirement community. Every time Joan tries to throw something in the trash,
her Mom takes it out.
How do you deal with downsizing? Are you sentimental about
your stuff or are you the poster child for the office's clean desk policy? How long do
you keep your kids’ artwork?
Originally published May 2011
I had a big huge box full of heels under my desk and about 40 long file type boxes full of legal paperwork when I was moved from an office to a cubical. Now I have all these heels, and drive a freakin bus!
ReplyDeleteMy cubicle desk, when I worked as a social worker with children, was a haven. Anyone coming in with any sense would know who I was in a glance. Pics of places I liked, humor, color, plants, radio set to jazz (it was the olden days before ipods) poster that said "Be yourself is the worst advice you can give some people" LeeAnna
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