Realtors, to-dos, and yard sales

The cruelest To-Do List ever created, where the last thing on the list is to start a new damn list!

We’re currently in the phase of planning where I feel equally like I’m on hold and like I’m in a maddening rush. My to-do list is so long that I have no idea where the end is, but so many of those items can’t be checked off yet. It’s too soon to put the house on the market, book plane tickets, apply for Mexican residency, reserve places to stay, but I still feel those things tugging at my sleeve, urging me to check them off the list.

At the same time, I have a house (and shed) FULL of stuff that needs to be sorted into what can be sold and what just needs to be donated. That job is it’s own endless to-do list, and is the least fun item on my Big List. It seems like the minute I go through one closet, it repopulates itself with more stuff! Where is it all coming from?? I sent 6 big boxes to The Arc last week, and I can’t even tell when I look around my house. (Pro tip: If you’re in the Boise area, The Arc will pick up your donations from your house–schedule online, leave it on the porch, and it disappears, with nothing but a tax receipt in its place! It’s also a really great organization that serves people with disabilities and their families.)

Needless to say, this is all causing me a fair amount of anxiety, which is not something I’m used to experiencing for extended periods of time. I’m typically an excellent anxiety avoider, to the point of fault, and I’m looking forward to going back to that somewhat unhealthy state of being.

These people are apparently advocating for increased exposure to anxiety to decrease avoidance behaviors. So, maybe all this unavoidable anxiety will be good for me! Maybe…

I’ve been appeasing my anxiety somewhat by going through the process of interviewing realtors. I’ve interviewed two so far, and have one to go. Thanks to all of my friends and acquaintances for your recommendations–you guys really know who the best of the best are! Even narrowing down the recommendations to the three I chose to interview was difficult. Once we’ve chosen a realtor, we’ll be able to schedule a walk-through with the home stager, and get started on their recommendations, and I’ll feel like I’m making progress toward selling the house.

The other slightly anxiety-appeasing thing we’ve done this week is schedule our first yard sale! I’m not sure why I typed an exclamation point after that, because putting on a yard sale is not exciting or fun. Maybe that’s my anxiety talking. It feels good to have the yard sale on the schedule and have a deadline to work against, but it’s so far out (March 23-24) that my procrastination urgency hasn’t set in, and I’m not very motivated to get stuff ready.

That is genius yard sale marketing. Does anyone have a naked statue I can borrow?

On the fun side of the to-do list, I’ve made contact with La Cooperativa language school in San Pedro La Laguna, Guatemala, and initiated our registration process! (That one deserves its exclamation point.) Once we’ve worked out a few minor details with the school, we can register and pay our deposit, and then the whole thing will feel real.

In the meantime, I’ll just be here…trying to avoid the anxiety of avoiding my to-do list…

San Pedro: because everyone needs a dedicated Alka-Seltzer shop. Photo credit: Barna Tanko