A Mountain of Things

Cody, WY, about 50 miles east of Yellowstone, is wet, cold, and dreary this morning. I suppose there will be no need for taking a shower at Old Faithful! I am happily trekking along, now on day ten of twelve of my cross-country road trip from VA to WA. I have many stories to share, but I'm not going to do so just yet --- instead, I wanted to reflect upon something I've been thinking about a great deal over the past few days. And, believe me, when you have hundreds of miles to drive, your mind tends to latch on to one idea for a long time!

Moving is always a bear, no matter how you slice it. This time around, however, I've done a few things right and different from all my many moves before. I've actually gone through every item I own --- studied it, tried it on, cleaned it out, and in many cases, donated it, recycled it, or tossed it out. The most cathartic experience was dumping 40+ notebooks of medical school notes --- I am happy to turn to the Internet in lieu of lugging around so much dead weight! So, in essence, I have distilled my mountain of things into a smaller mountain, the things that I deem most important, memorable, essential, etc. As I was packing my van in VA (and many times since), I thought what kinds of stories --- what kind of life --- would someone who doesn't know me draw in conclusion from my now smaller mountain of things if I was not there to tell the story? I'm beyond curious to know.

There are the basics that I share in common with so many of you --- clothes, shoes, toiletries, bedding, office stuff. Someone would quickly realize that I must love photography from all my equipment, that I sew every once-in-while with my antique machine, and that I adore traveling from all the books and maps I have accumulated over the years. But, then there are the collections --- and I seem to have mastered the knack of collecting over the years. Hundreds of patches that I will ... "someday" ... turn in to a travel quilt(s). Antique cameras. Dozens of scrapbooks. Mary Engelbreit bookmarks (but I've slowed down on this collection). Giraffes in every way, shape, and form (a result of a high school autobiographical paper I had to write employing a metaphor to describe myself, and I, of course, chose the giraffe!). Hallmark Victorian dollhouse ornaments. Unique jewelry (that all come with some sort of travel story or another). And my latest obsession --- old medical equipment: pill bottles, wooden crutches, an iron wheelchair, First Aid equipment, medical books, an old, leather doctor's bag, and one of the latest acquisitions ... and old-fashioned suspensory (jock strap) from the 1930s! What in the world do all these things say about me (particularly the jock strap!) if I were not there to tell the stories? I can only imagine!