Unpacking, Part I
The last thing that either of them wanted to do was unpack. Especially after driving all night long. But considering that the bed frames were pinned up against the front wall of the moving truck, everything else had to be unpacked first. His mom wryly told him she did that intentionally so that both of them - especially Scott - wouldn't go to bed as soon as the mattresses were unloaded, leaving her to do the rest of the unpacking.
In the beginning, Scott never thought that they would be able to fit everything into the moving truck. Even though his father and younger sister had moved a lot of things into storage for them, what was left was still too much - but in Scott's mind, essential. He had always thought of himself as a minimalist...up until he started pulling things out and sorting them into piles. Notebooks, athletic equipment, toys from when he was younger. All just seemed to spring from the walls and corners of his room where they had been hiding. Just waiting for the chance to jump out and be used again. But that wasn't his task. He was not going to use them again; his task instead was to figure out what stayed, what would be sold at a yard sale and what would be going with him. The first time he got his mom to look at his "moving" pile, she didn't even wait two seconds before saying that it was too much and he needed to get rid of more.
Scott grudgingly went back tot he pile and sorted even more out. the process took three more times before his mom allowed him to take a night and "think it over" to see what else he may be able to discard from the pile the next day with a fresh pair of eyes.
His mom tried to give him a box limit, but after an argument and philosophical discussion (more arguing) on how a liimit cannot be put on the intrinsic value of personal items, his mom backed off a little and instead of a set box limit, his new limit was that he could pack whatever, so long as the rest of the furniture could fit first.
Now, Scott standing outside, looking at the contents of the moving truck, about ready to start unloading, decided he wasn't sure if he had made out any better with his negotiated limit.
Throughout the entire process he had thought about the philosophical implications of having all of ones possessions condensed and packed into the back of a moving truck. Granted he had nothing to complain about. Many nomadic clans still exist today where the only things that they can move is what they can fit on their back - or a caravan of camels - and move around more frequently. Even though he was able to acknowledge that he had it way better than most "nomadic clans" this acknowledgment did not make things any better. If anything, they made things worse.
See, even though these clans moved frequently, they typically all moved together. As one family unit. And this is the biggest problem Scott had with this whole moving business. It was just him and his mother. His father and sister would be staying back at their - or his - old house. Several hours away.
In the beginning, Scott never thought that they would be able to fit everything into the moving truck. Even though his father and younger sister had moved a lot of things into storage for them, what was left was still too much - but in Scott's mind, essential. He had always thought of himself as a minimalist...up until he started pulling things out and sorting them into piles. Notebooks, athletic equipment, toys from when he was younger. All just seemed to spring from the walls and corners of his room where they had been hiding. Just waiting for the chance to jump out and be used again. But that wasn't his task. He was not going to use them again; his task instead was to figure out what stayed, what would be sold at a yard sale and what would be going with him. The first time he got his mom to look at his "moving" pile, she didn't even wait two seconds before saying that it was too much and he needed to get rid of more.
Scott grudgingly went back tot he pile and sorted even more out. the process took three more times before his mom allowed him to take a night and "think it over" to see what else he may be able to discard from the pile the next day with a fresh pair of eyes.
His mom tried to give him a box limit, but after an argument and philosophical discussion (more arguing) on how a liimit cannot be put on the intrinsic value of personal items, his mom backed off a little and instead of a set box limit, his new limit was that he could pack whatever, so long as the rest of the furniture could fit first.
Now, Scott standing outside, looking at the contents of the moving truck, about ready to start unloading, decided he wasn't sure if he had made out any better with his negotiated limit.
Throughout the entire process he had thought about the philosophical implications of having all of ones possessions condensed and packed into the back of a moving truck. Granted he had nothing to complain about. Many nomadic clans still exist today where the only things that they can move is what they can fit on their back - or a caravan of camels - and move around more frequently. Even though he was able to acknowledge that he had it way better than most "nomadic clans" this acknowledgment did not make things any better. If anything, they made things worse.
See, even though these clans moved frequently, they typically all moved together. As one family unit. And this is the biggest problem Scott had with this whole moving business. It was just him and his mother. His father and sister would be staying back at their - or his - old house. Several hours away.
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