Filing Out My Life

This morning I transitioned the two file drawers in my kitchen computer area to the file cabinet in the office. I will bring the files that I file from opening the mail out here. It makes sense. I spend much more time out here than at my office, and I always open the mail out here rather than in the office. So, it will be a quick open and file, rather than a open, set on the dining room table, let it sit there, gather up all the piles, plop it in my office "catch all" drawer, put it in the "to file basket" and file having to get down on my knees to avoid straining my back. I don't know why I didn't think of this years ago. Oh well.

In the file next to me were old files related to homeschool and my online life of Edu-Anon and Trapdoor. I took a trip down memory lane, and I read old posts I had copied for archiving. It is so interesting to see the transition that most of us have made out of that. Tia's famous, "Moooom, are we there yet?" post that caused a little stir. The posts about transitions in theology. The posts about how much we have lost of ourselves through marriage and kids. Seeing where many are now, I know that this was because of what was happening in the spousal relationships at the time. So much has sifted out in that respect. So many divorces and transitions. It is mind-boggling to think about it.

It made me smile. It was all part of life in my 40's: elementary age kids, co-ops, teaching the basics, finding support for my own growth and education through Edu-Anon, Trapdoor. wisdom from moms who had high schoolers, tears, drama. All part of my life then.

I have transitioned somehow as I hit 50. My homeschool file cabinet is no longer needed, really. The basics have been covered. I have independent learners who only occasionally ask me for help. I facilitate and host a couple of group classes, but it is all through digital means, and I have no need for printing and filing papers for myself.

Trapdoor folded years ago (what year? I have forgotten). Friendships remain intact and some are so precious to me. I am so thankful for all in my life. The collective whole exhausted me though, but I am pretty sure I am at peace with all of them individually but have no desire to return to that collective whole that it morphed into after TDS closed down. I have nothing against it, but my real life collective whole has much less drama, and if it does, it is much easier to sort out and make peace than through the words we furiously type out on our keyboards.

Timer has sounded. On to filing out my life.