Stewart and I have moved a lot…no seriously…..a lot. In the almost 18 years we’ve been together (What? 18 years? Seriously? No way! Those years zipped by), we’ve moved thirteen times. We’ve lived in four major urban areas including Denver, Tucson, Portland, and Seattle and in one rural area on the Olympic Peninsula (outside Port Townsend). Trust me…we know how to sort, pack and move. We got this.

But, this sorting/packing experience is totally different from the others. An extremely small amount of our ‘stuff’ is going with us, a max of 100 lbs. each, to be exact. This time when we hold an item in our hand before sorting it into a toss/sell/keep category, we must determine 1. Will we need it in Nepal?, 2. Is it something that we cannot take with us, but cannot bear to let go of? (mostly family heirlooms) and 3. If we keep it, where will it stay until we return to the States?(no moving van or storage rental involved on this one…very very few items will be kept in nooks and crannies of family members’ homes)

Stew said it feels as if we are preparing for death. Kinda gruesome…but, a true description of the emotions involved in this experience.