One of my first big purchases as an adult was an rockin’ home stereo that consisted of an Onkyo tuner, multi CD carousel, a pair of Bose bookshelf speakers, and some big bad-ass Cerwin Vega floor speakers. They were awesome. They were huge. They were a little much.

I remember reading the manual that came with them (yes, I read manuals) which encouraged me to keep the boxes. It read that I would want the boxes whenever it came time to move. It was good advice that I have taken ever since. When we bought new lamps in Abilene, I kept the boxes. When we got a new TV when we first came to Alaska, I kept the box. When we bought a new table and chairs before moving to Circle, I kept the boxes. Those boxes, and the items they contained (except for the Cerwin Vega speakers, alas) have traveled with us as we have moved, by car, by bush plane, and by jon boat from place to place over the last few years.

As I unpack them now, here in the garage, my garage, I am looking at these boxes and wondering when we will use them again. I've been ruminating on thoughts of our travels. For how long are we here? When will we move next? At what point are we done moving, and when can we throw these boxes away for good? We don’t know the answers to those questions just yet. I hope we are here for a while, but I can’t bring myself to toss them just yet.