The Art of Packing

well its that time of the year again. its time to box up my belongings and shuttle them to a different space. I hadn't planned on having to do this again until May; however, i find myself not being able to resist neatly organizing books, cleaning supplies, coffee mugs, and the oddly shaped items that define my room into small, labeled boxes.

I don't know about everyone else, but packing is a little piece of heaven for my personality type. I absolutely love manipulating objects in order to fit the most into one box. However, i am quite particular as to what goes into each cardboard cube. Here are a few "box" labels for you:
"desk stuff"
"wall hangings"
"devotion books" "New Testament books" "Psych Books"
"Cleaning supplies"
,etc.

Now a lot of people just shove different things into different spaces and hope for the best when they arrive at their destination. Then, unpacking becomes like Christmas, filled with the wonder of opening a present each time a box is unpacked, often accompanied by the phrase, "Oh, i wonder what is in here!"

But for me, packing is a strategy. I develop a plan, and expect that plan to be effective and efficient. In fact, i am so particular as to how things are packed, i have developed this idea in my mind that there is a "right" way and a "wrong" way to pack. That's right, you didn't know that you could sin simply by stuffing boxes, but you can. Also, when others offer to help me pack, it takes twice as long. Reason? Because i spend 80% of my time fixing what the other person has done. So, i love packing, if it is done right.

But there is so much more that underlies packing. You have to leave. I hate this part. I hate the unfamiliar, the new, the different. Especially when you like where you are. I find it hard to leave my current routine in order to take on a new one. But sometimes, the familiar is mundane. Sometimes the old is molded. So, its time to pack, and with that, leave.

I find it strange that this time, the new, unfamiliar, different place is actually where i have been for the last three years.
Here come the dorms...