Tonight's picture was taken in July of 2008, only weeks from when Mattie was diagnosed with cancer. It is truly remarkable to look at Mattie here and to accept that he was actually sick and we did not know it. In any case, this photo was taken on the boardwalk of Roosevelt Island. We do not have many photos of the three of us together. I can count them on one hand, which is what makes this photo special.
Quote of the day: Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving. ~ Albert Einstein
It seems like I haven't written the blog for a very long time. Since July of 2008, I have been writing the blog daily. Yet while I was in California helping my parents move, I was working non-stop and had issues with connectivity. Which is why I am so happy Peter kept the writing going in my absence. As you can see or I should say read, Peter can more than hold his own as a writer and it is wonderful to hear his perspective and commentary about his day and our experiences.
Though Peter had to work and couldn't get away to come to California, his support was present through his communications with me, his sending me gloves to help me while dealing with a lot of boxes and paper, taking care of our animals, answering technology questions I had from afar as I set up my parents computers and printers, and of course writing the blog. When I arrived home last night, I am happy to say that I got a greeting from Indie and a huge greeting from Sunny. I find it so amazing the love a dog can have for its owner. A bit different from a cat, as things are always on a cat's terms.
I love Einstein's quote that I found because I would say for the last three weeks, I was constantly moving. In fact to manage this move, I had to keep moving! Otherwise, there would be no balance, no equilibrium. Initially when I went out to California, my intention was not to stay for the actual move. However, after my first day there, I immediately changed my plans. Moving is tough stuff and fortunately given all that I do for the Foundation, I have the skill set to manage big events.... and moving is an event. There are many parts to organize and run.
Instead of purchasing moving boxes, we went to the grocery store, the produce department specifically, and asked them for their left over boxes. These boxes are sturdy and they aren't too big to carry (boxes that typically house bananas were my favorite). After securing boxes, it was then a matter of going through all items to determine which were coming with us, which were going to be trashed, and what could be donated. We filled up half a driveway with items to be donated. The process can be overwhelming and I think it is a whole lot easier to do with someone else's things than your own. Which is why I knew it would be better for me to take this on. Having cleaned out Mattie's things and room, I know the emotional difficulties of parting with possessions.
I spent days wrapping breakables and boxing things. When I knew for certain where my parents were going to move to, and how close it was, I literally began piling things into their car and transporting things that way rather than wrapping them. I can't even imagine how many miles of walking I did in the last three weeks, with climbing up and down steps and walking back and forth between houses. I am sure I did a couple of marathons worth of walking. But my goal was to leave my parents with NOTHING to unpack. I did not want them dealing with boxes, packing paper, and chaos. I am proud to say as of Wednesday night they were completely box and bin free. Everything was put away and now when I return in August, only pictures need to be hung and some other odds and ends.
It was quite an achievement, and I knew I did a good job when the professional movers told me that I made their job easier. That I basically did 90% of the move. Certainly moving furniture and heavy items is impossible, and I wasn't about to take that on, but what I did was streamlined the move. Otherwise, my parents would be sorting through boxes for months trying to unwrap items and find a home for them. I was going to have none of that, and therefore, like I run our Foundation Walk, I used my same determination and strategies to manage the move. So as Einstein said.... to keep your balance keep moving. It was my motto to successfully complete this move.
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