Subtraction

In anticipation of the big move, we started decluttering the house, and recently have become more systematic and intentional about it. Next month, Linda retires, thereby declutting her personal schedule after having been employed continuously for 40 years (45 if you count her graduate school stipend; 46 if you count the year she was an RA at Strong Hall).

We’re both embracing the opportunity to subtract the detritus that accumulated over all these decades. Some items evoke smiles and memories before they are donated to Goodwill or go into the recycle bin. The results are finally becoming obvious, as the basement empties and bookshelves become vacant. We still have a long way to go, and less and less time to finish the job.

Anyone who has ever made a wood carving or admired the marble statues David and the Pietà understands the role of subtraction in creativity. I’m looking forward to creating a new life in the years that remain to us, and subtraction is sine qua non for that.