Out With the Old

Who am I kidding? The old typically has to be torn from my clenched and grasping fingers... I'm learning to let go, but it's not an easy exercise.

I have a new (to me) box spring and mattress. My tiny bedroom feels so much smaller and yet the bed is only taller, not wider. And three feet away from the wall. So I can sit up in bed without my head hitting the roof.

Two weeks ago my chiropractor asked, "How old is your pillow?" And "How old is your mattress?" My pillow gave up the ghost long ago. But I keep it because... well, because it's been with me for so long. The mattress? I picked it up at a friend's garage sale. It's not terribly old, but I know it isn't doing my back any favors. 

When I got home I sent my cousin a text message. "Do you still have Maddie's bed?" (She's been trying to find a new home for her daughter's bed since May.) I knew the mattress on Maddie's bed would be much better quality than the one I currently slept on. I was relieved to find she still had it and was still looking to find it a new home. All I needed was a truck to move it.

I sent a text to my friend Dan. "My cousin has a single bed for me," I told him, "but I need a truck to move it. Do you know anyone with a truck?"

"I might," he said. "Let's do this."

So Sunday afternoon, while the sun was shining and November was playing June, he helped me move that bed from my cousin's house to  my garage. Later that day I hauled the box spring, which was wearing a fitted sheet, up my attic stairway to my bedroom. (Don't tell Dan.) Sergio helped me with the mattress and I have a much more comfortable spot to sleep. I'm adjusting to having space between myself and the wall, and also to being a foot higher off the floor. I have another chiropractor appointment on Monday. If I don't smash my head into any shelves at work (did that just after my last appointment) or my own ceiling here at home, my neck should feel better. (I tossed the old pillow on the floor and am getting used to a new one.) My lower back, aggravated by constantly lifting babies at work, should at least get a break from the abuse when I go to bed at night. The mattress is fabulous.

I have yet to clean out my clothes closet and sort through various and sundry items that clutter my room and take up space in the attic. I need to let go of so many things, but I'm not sure how without feeling panicky. What if I let go of the wrong things?