Out of Sight, Out of Mind - I Think My Van Is Judging Me
I’ve been here at the extended stay hotel since early December. I haven’t made definite plans yet but I’ll be leaving in 3 or 4 weeks to head north for the summer.
This morning, I pondered the thought of moving everything back into my cozy little home on wheels when I leave the hotel. Then, a sudden realization hit me… there’s still a lot of things in the van that I haven’t thought twice about these past 3-4 months!
I love my mini-apartment hotel room set-up…
I brought in my kitchen supplies - including a mini-popcorn popper, egg cooker, tea kettle, coffee cone, and portable mini-oven.
There’s also my bathroom stuff, necessary medical equipment, all my clothes, the cutest little air purifier ever, the folding wagon I use to haul stuff into the hotel and other purposes, and a couple small junk baskets of miscellaneous doodads.
It’s hard to believe all this stuff actually fit in my van and I wonder how I’ll get it to fit back in.
But there’s still stuff in the van…
My campground necessities (leveling blocks, electric cords, and whatnot) are still under the bed where I left them last December. These are definitely needed when I’m at a campground but not at a hotel.
There’s also a myriad of things scattered under the bed, in drawers, and stuffed into cubby-holes… none of which I’ve needed these past few months nor do I remember the last time I actually used them.
The funny thing is…
This past summer, I downsized and took everything out of the van that I haven’t used in the 10 plus years I’ve lived nomadic. There were things I haven’t used since the day I moved into the van!
My unused belongings are now sitting in the storage unit I got a few years ago in northwest Illinois - where I usually hangout from mid-Spring to mid-autumn.
I got the unit after my Dad passed away and I kept way too many mementos when we cleaned out Mom and Dad’s house. Mom passed away 16 years earlier but most of her things were still where she left them in drawers, closets, and throughout the house.
I was only going to keep the storage unit for a year or two…
The storage unit was supposed to be temporary while I sorted through everything. But it’s kind of nice having it handy in an area where I spend a lot of time.
I can swap my winter equipment out with summer stuff and it’s worked out great for procrastinating when it comes to sorting through Mom and Dad’s things 🙄
For now, I’m keeping the storage unit.
Parting thoughts…
Having a hotel as a home base for several months helped me see that I still have way too much stuff crammed into my tiny home on wheels.
My rule is, every item needs to be worthy of the space it takes up in the van… and I’ve been slacking at enforcing that rule.
It looks like I need to add another task to my To Do List when I get back to northwest Illinois… to ruthlessly re-evaluate every item I carry with me in the van!
Connie 🌼
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Life Right Now
- My Whereabouts → Southeast Florida
- Home Base → An extended-stay hotel
- I’m Here Until → Sometime in March or April
- Today’s Weather → It’s 80 degrees (Feels Like 86). The humidity is on the rise as South Florida ramps up for summer and the mutant Florida ninja skeeters will be coming out in droves! 🦟
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