Transition Is A Place All Its Own - Boxes as Evidence of Transition

Transition is a place all of its own. Transition is a place of in-between-ness, of being on the move, and in motion. Sorting and packing. Yes this/not that. Clearing space, literally, for a new life cycle to follow, the unknown, fallow, yet fertile field yet to be plowed and sown.

My boxes are evidence of transition. My studio has become a staging area for my move. The boxes propagate like fleas overnight and stack up. My estimate of 50 boxes turns to the reality of 120 boxes and little else. Boxes of all shapes and sizes. A tiny box for heavy things like my 3-legged pot from Botswana or my professional quality massager that feels like a floor polisher when it goes over my back. A huge 6-foot custom-made box for my hand cast paper boat ready to float in a new body of water. Slowly all the lumpy objects are boxed and cased.

A neighbor comes to measure up the “Heartshell” clay and steel sculpture to build a crate for it. The moving expenses keep mounting, but I’m in “Just do it” mode. “Just pay the price and move on.” I run up to town to get a roll of bubble wrap we jam in the passenger seat of the car and boxes that ride in the back. Another day I borrow my sweetheart's truck to haul back three huge bags of organic packing peanuts from the Paper and Janitorial supply store. A nice older man driving a sports car helps me tie down my load on the back of the truck with its sideboards up.

Not to mention the over a dozen trips to the women’s shelter. They know me there now and fill out the itemized list after I leave.

The archeology of personal history is revealed through objects. My past is discovered, uncovered, and recovered as I pack. Bubble wrap becomes insulation, protection, and transparency. You can see what you’re protecting. It’s like another body in the car.

What is this place of transition asking of me?
"Janet, you must be open, yet bounded. Strong yet vulnerable. Wise, in this newness."

"What does this place of transition know about me?"
"If this place could speak through me, what would it have to push aside in order to be heard?"

Visit Janet Grace Riehl's blog "Riehl Life: Village Wisdom for the 21st Century" at http://www.riehlife.com for more thoughts and information about making connections through the arts, across cultures, generations, and within the family. You can also read sample poems and other background information from "Sightlines: A Poet's Diary" on Janet's website.

Other articles by Janet Grace Riehl

Writing from Memory Visualization - Coming Home to Your Childhood Room - by Janet Grace Riehl

When we set out to write from memory, our biggest obstacle is finding the specific sense memories which anchor our work and make it credible and real to readers. At the outset we must accept that memory is malleable

My Girl's Life in My Pink Room - by Janet Grace Riehl

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When I came down with the mumps, Daddy stayed home,
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from

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