You Can’t Take It With You
I was moving from a house in Atlanta to an apartment in Manhattan. I would be trading in a porch for a fire escape, a driveway for a stoop. I welcomed the change. Sometimes the girl from the small town needs to spend a little bit of time in the big big city just to see if she can do it. (And also because she wants to and has really always wanted to. )
It should also go as no surprise that there were a lot of Dads very concerned that I was unaware of the size discrepancy between a house in Atlanta and an apartment in Manhattan.
“You know you’re not gonna be able to take everything with you,”
I know.
“You’re gonna have to downsize a lot.”
I know.
I did know. Because that was part of the point. I had lived in that house for seven years. Seven years of life and love and stuff. A lot of it was stuff I wouldn’t have thrown away if I had stayed living in that house in Atlanta. However a big change requires a few big changes and a million more tiny changes. Everything mustn’t go, but a lot must.
As soon as I signed the lease for my new place, I called a dumpster rental agency and had one sitting at the end of my driveway within two hours. The first two days were a frenzy of just chucking shit into the trash. There was glee in it. Some stuff I delighted in throwing away.
By day two or three, things slowed down quite a bit. I took inventory of every item that had found its way in my home and one-by-one I cast down my verdict.
I was surprised by some of the things I decided to throw away (or donate or give to friends or leave behind):
Around 35 books
Some antique furniture that I loved but I knew wouldn’t fit in the new place
Lots of bakeware, cookware, and kitchen gadgets
75% of my plants (most of which were healthy and I’d had for multiple years. I just didn’t know how I’d transport them up here and if they’d make it. They went to neighbors who love plants and will take excellent care of them.)
My old camera (partially as a move to finally force myself to buy a new one…if you’d like to donate to the cause let me know…)
My power drill (This one I just forgot on my porch. I realized about 4 hours into my drive. Used this as an excuse to treat myself to a beautiful new DeWalt that I’d been coveting for years. Did you know I love power tools?)
Because at the end of the day it’s all just stuff. You can’t take it with you: not to New York, certainly not to the grave.
When I got to New York and unboxed my life, I was surprised- confused, baffled, mystified - by some of the things I took with me:
A half-empty can of 20% DEET mosquito spray (Does NYC have mosquitoes???)
A clothes drying rack (despite knowing that I don’t do my own laundry anymore because I don’t have a washer/dryer)
Roughly 12 extension cords and 8 surge protectors of various sizes and lengths (how does one woman accumulate so many???)
There’s a third list of tangible things that I took with me that don’t surprise me at all. Things that I didn’t hesitate in packing up up and moving with me that have no monetary value but to me are priceless:
All my favorite books from childhood
My ever expanding collection of knicknacks, tchotchkes, and trinkets I’ve acquired through through travel and quests through random antique stores
The menu from my dinner at Pujol in May 2018
My favorite overalls
So I am happily sitting in my much smaller space and I hope all the Dads everywhere are happy knowing that I’m enjoying less…but not nothing. Just because I can’t take it with me doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy it for now.
Thank you so much for all the ways you’ve helped me and the boys (the boys = the cats) get settled into our new home! If you’re so inclined, I’m still putting a few finishing touches on the place. Feel free to peruse my wishlist or gift directly through CashApp.
Hi! I’m Anna Carter, a GFE escort in Manhattan, NYC. I’m originally from Atlanta, GA.