We are getting close to selling our house in Scituate. This is the house the kids grew up in – Ty was a baby when we moved in. It has been on the market since we left, but given the lousy market, I never really expected it to sell. We left behind all sorts of furniture, dishes and house things that didn’t make sense to bring here to Hong Kong. All of it now needs to be sold or removed before the closing date. An estate sale is in the works. For anyone living near Scituate: here’s your chance for some nice things for super cheap!  These weren’t things I left behind because I didn’t like them. There’s wonderful porch furniture, perfect for lounging and smelling the lavender I planted when we first moved in. Maybe you’ll also find that perfect location where you can see the kids playing but are far enough away to enjoy a good book. There’s an indestructible bench that could be hosed down after accommodating a good portion of cousins for a summer ice cream feast, and don’t forget the colorful plastic “tiki” seats that let us pack the rest of the cousins around the table. There are the halloween decorations I collected with my boys, for my boys (for me?). The framed Tiffany poster I bought to decorate my first office, but didn’t make the cut for Hong Kong. I feel that picture is never going to get the respect it deserves; it survived 4 jobs and 5 moves. Now that it’s soon to be gone, I’m not sure why I didn’t bring it with me. The list goes on: Jed’s, then Ty’s, then Luke’s bike, our swingset, built by my Dad and Tommy, the random assortment of tools I loved having on hand and have missed here, the blue settee perfectly sized for reading to three little boys. The toys I can’t even bear to write about.

I am thankful for this blog, because rereading my previous entry about the burden of stuff takes me right back to when I felt so overwhelmed by all the things we brought with us. Even so, it turns out it’s easier than I imagined to romanticize the leftovers back in Scituate. I could delay the sale and come home to give all my stuff a proper goodbye, but the one thing that is irreplaceable is time. Is it really necessary to spend it grieving over inanimate objects?  I am trying to shift my focus to imagine all the things being used by others, hopefully helping create a little bit of happiness, delight (i’m thinking of those toys!) comfort, or utility. Please, go to the estate sale and get some of my good stuff and give it a happy home. Respect the Tiffany poster.

All in all, I think I am supposed to be excited and relieved that we actually found a buyer in this market, but it’s more complicated than that.  Selling the house really makes this “assignment” more of an all-out move. That’s not to say I don’t like it here.  I do. Just this weekend we spent an entire day with friends at Shek O, a beachy town on the quiet side of Hong Kong island, turquoise waves rolling, boys boogie boarding, a nice breeze. Lunch was at an outdoor Chinese Thai restaurant, and everyone found something they liked to eat.  The very next evening, we had other friends over to watch the skyline sparkle with fireworks celebrating Chinese National Day.  Hong Kong is such a bundle of contradictions, it hasn’t gotten old yet. I love our city apartment and it doesn’t even feel remotely cramped. Still, I am a little sad to let my suburban life go. I really did love living in that house, building it into what worked perfectly for our family, furnishing it with things I loved. I know I have the most important part of it all with me – the sense of home, the memories, my family. None of which I’m required to dust. It’s all good.