The early days... it was easy to keep organize with few files. |
My
wife and I decided to dedicate this weekend to cleaning and our son finally let
us get the much needed work done around the house. With the washing machine
humming, sloshing, and twirling in the background, we went from room to room
cleaning, organizing, sorting, and packing. It took the entire weekend to get
most of the house done and by the time my wife went to bed on Sunday night the
only two rooms remaining were our offices. This is a wholly different task altogether
as we both have more paperwork than storage space and more books than shelves.
It is going to be interesting but hugely satisfying when it is done.
With
my wife and son asleep, I ventured down into the basement and began sifting
through the rows upon rows of shelves. I went down there with the goal of filling
one box of books that had little value to me at this moment. As someone who
enjoys information and having resources readily available, this is not a very
easy process… many of the books that I have collected over the years are those
that contain information that has yet to be digitized. Contrary to what some
people say, not everything can be found on the internet. After about 30
minutes, I actually was able to fill a box and clear a shelf for the binders of
new research that was going to be added. It came down to a small sampling of
books that I know I can find again when I have the space.
Once
this part was done, I began flipping through the binders on the shelves and
files stored in boxes. It really is amazing what you can find when you it down
and sift through the boxes in your office… this is especially true when it
comes to genealogy. While slowly flipping through the pages and pages of notes
and photocopies, I rediscovered small details that I had written on a pieces of
paper while pouring through volumes and volumes of material. They are the small
details (like the fact that my great grandparents were brought together by
their love of horses) that I had forgotten almost as quickly as I was able to
record them.
It
is the dilemma of disorganization. While many of the documents and facts have
been sorted and organized for later, many of these details seem to get lost in
the pages. At the same time, rediscovering these details was just as
interesting as when I first read them. It was nice to feel that same way about
finding ‘new’ information and it makes me wonder what other documents I have
buried (most likely from a scanning / photocopying marathon). With the rest of
the house in order, I am glad that I am now in a position to take on this task…
at least until the files get moved again.
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