2. these are actual chairs selling in an actual barn at an actual farm where actual people go for an actual sale.
3. this is chaos to me (and maybe you), treasures to the owner.
4. i could only stare at this for a few minutes before i got uncomfortable. i felt like i had literally crawled inside the commotion-filled-clinging-onto-everything-psyche of someone who hoarded everything. it was just moments before i had to breathlessly leave the room.
5. the swedish death cleanse is not a bad idea. (from the book the gentle art of swedish death cleaning(margareta magnusson) “a charming, practical, and unsentimental approach to putting a home in order while reflecting on the tiny joys that make up a long life.”) clearing out all unnecessary items. putting things in order. learning to let go. sounds lofty. but, heck, we can try it.
6. so we’ve started purging, baby-step-by-baby-step. #purgingsoourchildrendon’thaveto #lessismore #notaseasyasitlooks #wholooksinthebasementstorageroomanyway #thready-nesshasitsdrawbacks #thedeathcleansemightbeoverrated #meh,atleastourhousedoesn’tlooklikethisphoto #we’lltryagaintomorrow
with the ad-campaign-delivery of beautiful jennifer garner, what’s in YOUR basement?
we didn’t give it a second thought when The Boy told me that he was going to be traveling to the rogers park neighborhood of chicago. of course we were going. we got out the metra train schedule and looked at the sunday trains from waukegan to rogers park, looking at our google maps to see where the restaurant we were meeting him at was located and how to get there from the train station. we will literally trek anywhere if My Boy or My Girl are going to be nearby (or even far) and we have a chance to see them.
we jumped off the train at rogers park and made our way through the streets, enjoying a nice walk, through residential and commercial areas. we turned down clark and then devon and had lunch at uncommon ground, a place known for its rooftop organic farm. when he had to leave, The Boy suggested that we go tour loyola’s lakefront campus before we headed back to the station. we were glad we did; the area was beautiful and we liked rogers park.
six sundays later a beautiful young man had flown out to chicago from new york to pursue his doctoral degree at northwestern university. he moved into a place in rogers park and, four hours after he arrived, took a stroll on clark street to buy hangers at a local store. this aspiring student – just 25 years old – the same age as MY Boy- got caught in the crossfire of two men. he was shot and killed. a mere four hours after his full-of-dreams arrival. i don’t even know what kind of flawed earth we live on when a mom has to learn that her child, following the direction and hard work of his life, has lost his life. my heart breaks for her.
indeed, my heart breaks for every mom, every parent, every human, who has been touched by needless, unwarranted, tragic violence in this world. such despair. where is it safe?
on google maps, there is a small exclamation mark with this caveat: “use caution – walking directions may not always reflect real-world conditions.” i never noticed it before. it’s quite the understatement.
painted on a wall at loyola university in rogers park, chicago
i went back. we had passed this on the street while taking a walk. when it registered a moment or two after we passed it, i had to go back. out of context, it made me laugh aloud. i showed it to jen and she and i both decided on a 3 year old. i mean, it’s a FREE 3 year old!!!!
now….everyone knows THAT’S just not true. i think wryly about the lifestyle difference between people i know who have never had children and people i know who have had 2-4 olds (who grow up into snack-devouring-soccer-playing-music-lesson-taking 8 year olds who grow up into gatorade-guzzling-granola-bar-munching-tennis-playing-nike-sneaker-loving-makeup-wearing-hair-dying teenagers who grow up into university-tuition-paying-care-package-receiving-ramen-noodle-eating-dorm-room-paraphernalia-moving-apartment-sharing-car-driving college students who grow up into….. )
reverse threading 