Thursday, November 8, 2012

the weight of an empty kitchen


in a few short weeks, robert and i will be leaving our little cottage, following a little different path that will hopefully lead us sooner to our forever home. and i've put off writing this post. partially because of all the hustle and  bustle and throwing away that comes with any move. but more so because every time i sit down to write about it, i start to cry.

but last night around midnight, i slipped out of bed and went to the kitchen to get some water. and with the lights off and the moon spilling across the countertops, i could pretend for a second. pretend our plates were still hung on the wall, the way my uncle arranged them that one afternoon. that my yellow spice jars were still sitting on the shelf, the ones i was so happy to find at the dollar store. i could imagine we still had the chalkboard hanging over the microwave, with notes and quotes i couldn't bring myself to erase. that the oversized alarm clock wasn't in a cardboard box somewhere, along with the magnet from our honeymoon, and the vegetables from our garden were still hanging in the wire basket.

i holstered myself up and let my legs dangle by the cabinets. from that vantage point i've watched a million sunrises and seen my windowsill plants lean into the glass. i saw the oven where i burnt that apple cake this year, and the caramel glaze last december. the old wooden table where we sit on weekdays for supper. the meals i tried to make. the ones that succeeded and the tuna casserole that didn't. that little corner where every night i sit and wait with pablo while he eats. i stayed there for a second and breathed it in.

our first night here, i walked around the rooms in the dark. there are only five. i walked around and around them in a circle, learning their curve and shape. i laid on the linoleum and rested my cheek on its cold flower pattern. i leaned into the wood walls and breathed in their years. since then, i've made my mark on every crevice of this tiny place. i can't look outside without remembering the laundry that hung from the clothesline or that warm march night when i went and sat on a blanket alone and listened to ryan adams while the moon shone over the pin oaks. the little porch and swing reminds me of summer nights and white wine, of waving goodbye to parents and of robert in his white sleep shirt, propping the screen door open to wish me a good day at work as i honked in the driveway.

i cried when i took the first picture off the wall. that first moment of deconstruction, of removal. the transformation from home to house, the erasure of all i tried so hard to build. and i cried again last night, my pillow propped against the headboard, the shed light glowing in through the blinds, just as it has every windy night since 2009. 

places and people change, this much i know. and time marches on, but just this time, i wish it would crawl.

16 comments:

Tiffany said...

I am so sad that you won't be blogging about your little cottage anymore! But I can't wait to see your new place and know that you will make wonderful memories there as well!

~Tiffany
http://tiffanyd22.blogspot.com

Janette said...

No more cottage????!! Sooo sad:-( But I know you have sweet things in store Courtney! I love that you cherish the little things.. I cried too when I moved from our tiny studio to our home. We still speak of it. I mean. It was TEENY! But it was were we learned how to be husband and wife and it will always be special.. Take pictures of every room before you go!


♥Janette
http://janettethejongleur.blogspot.com

Contemplating Beauty said...

Must be so bittersweet for you...i'm glad you had that moment last evening.

new adventures ahead, moving far?

Pablo gets a new home too!

xo

Whim Wham Life said...

Such sweet and precious memories! Time is a funny thing in our world. At least we have places in our hearts to hold things forever:-) xoxo

Ren- Lady Of The Arts said...

Oh you write so beautifully. I wish you the best for this new chapter of your life.

Blondie's Journal said...

It's so hard to leave a place you love. I know you will carry the memories but more importantly, you will make more. Save this post that you wrote in your little cottage as a piece to bring with you wherever you go.

XO,
Jane

Jessica Adams said...

You are such a beautiful writer. Good luck and have fun on your new adventure!

Audrey said...

These memories can't be deconstructed, and that's what's so beautiful about this post. I hope your next adventure is equally as breathtaking and that it includes blogging, no matter where life takes you!

Dee Paulino said...

The details, oh the details in your writing make me part of your stories! you have a beautiful spirit and it reflects on your writing!

I hope you two have a good transition! I can't wait to read more.

Shay said...

I cannot wait to read the beautiful posts that come from the new place! So sorry your heart has to ache for the old one, though!

Amy @ AGirlCalledBeloved said...

I'm so sorry friend! I can relate as we look into possibly moving from our home. It's a hard thing to pack away things and memories into boxes! Wishing you luck with your move and that you will love your new home too!

Vanessa said...

Lovely post.^^
Maybe follow each other on BLOGLOVIN and GFC???
My Blog

erika said...

Moves are so emotional. They hit places we sometimes didn't even know existed. Hugs!

Becca said...

Wishing you all the best with your move and hoping you find somewhere that feels like home x

Eleanor at Mirror Of My World said...

hi courtney

im back on the blog scene

good luck with your move, lets be in touch again!!!

ellie

http://www.mirrorofmyworld.blogspot.co.uk

ladaisi said...

I so know what you mean. We have moved so many times in our lives ... and it's a beautiful, exciting, soul-saddening kind of thing all at once.

Ladaisi Blog
Ladaisi Etsy

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