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.