We missed several deadlines in our planned move from Whidbey Island to Boston to live aboard our boat. Missing a deadline can be frustrating, but it sometimes gives you an opportunity to do something you didn’t think you’d have time for. For instance, Tom got the chance to win the belt sander race at Frontier Building Supply, our long time local lumber yard, one last time. He’d already been the champ for several years running so it was a great last hurrah.
A Huge Part of Moving Aboard a Boat is Selling Your Stuff
When we finally sold our old pickup truck that had been a fixture here since 1994, it was a true sign that departure was immanent.
While some folks trade things in and out of their lives with the seasons, fashions, trends or frequent moves, we keep things a long time. Each item is layered with memory. The truck is a great example.
It was the truck Tom was driving the night we forgot Emily at the Middle School track banquet.
It was the truck we drove to Texas for Mari’s soccer tournament and a strange, too warm Thanksgiving, then on to New Orleans and Pensacola to see the place where Tom grew up and enjoy a winter beach vacation.
It was the truck that incessantly hauled materials for the building of the house.
It was the truck that carried Tom’s tools to numerous construction jobs.
It was the truck that took us to Baja for our Erendira surfing adventure, and got stuck on the beach for a day near Loreto.
It was the truck that regularly carried us and a load of gear to the Columbia Gorge and Lake Wenatchee for windsurfing campouts.
It was the too big truck each of the kids tried to avoid when they were learning to drive.
It was the truck we stuffed full of hydrangeas and roses cut from our garden and the gardens of Whidbey friends and took to Portland to make bouquets and arrangements for Mari’s wedding.
It was the truck that broke down just a couple of miles from Emily’s house in Montana, adding nicely to the stress of Em’s wedding preparations.
As the years have passed and maintenance became more and more frequent, it was the truck that never left the island. But it knew how to get to the lumber yard, the top soil place, the garden debris facility, the recycling centers, and the dump.
We’ll always remember that old truck fondly.
And now we’re starting a new pile of memories in a sailboat. No doubt we’ll keep it a long time too, and have a million stories to tell about the places it takes us.
That’s the plan.
Selling Your Stuff Can be Tough
Selling your stuff can be tough for many reasons, but one of the best problems you’ll have is the way you takes you back through all the great memories each item triggers. Just don’t let those memories derail the selling your stuff project. Once you release those old things, you’ve got room for so much more in your life.
Yea Tom and his belt sander! That’s the strangest race I’ve heard of but I hope to see a photo of Tom in action on the front page of the next issue of the South Whidbey Record. Fun.