Speed vs Strategic Packers and the Battle Over the Can Opener

---

Packing: The Great Divide

When it comes to moving, my husband and I have very different packing styles.

He’s what I call a speed packer—the kind of man who packs like there’s a game show host shouting, “First person to box up every belonging and dump it in the new house wins half a million dollars!”

Meanwhile, I’m more of a strategic packer—I like to sort, declutter, and label everything. I take what I call the big picture approach (he calls it “unnecessarily complicated”). My method takes longer, but I can actually find things afterward—like, say, my frying pan.

Blue Tape and the Illusion of Labels

Hubby, on the other hand, is done in record time. He claims it’s because I have more stuff. I say it’s because he doesn’t stop to decide what should actually go to the new house.

(If you’ve read my blog Unrealistic Emmys, Sparkly Gowns, and the Undecided Pile, you already know: he’s a take-no-survivors type of guy. He shows no mercy to belongings. I, on the other hand, ooze with mercy.)

So no, I do not want him to pack my things. Last time, he “labeled” my bins by slapping on a strip of blue tape. Apparently, “Angela’s stuff” is all the information I need to locate my block of kitchen knives among two hundred mystery bins.

When I pointed that out, he accused me of exaggerating—said we don’t even own two hundred bins. And besides, he believed I'd find it before I got to the last one.

The Great Can Opener Debate

He reached into the kitchen drawer, pulled out an old manual can opener, and made a move toward the trash can.

I leapt in front of him like a Secret Service agent protecting the president. “What are you doing?”

“It hasn’t worked in ten years,” he said.

“The can opener part hasn’t,” I replied. “The bottle opener still works.”

“We don’t buy anything in bottles needing that kind of opener,” he countered.

“What if Coca-Cola brings back Coke in a glass bottle?” I asked.

“They’re not bringing it back.”

I folded my arms. “I read online stirrup pants are making a comeback. Bringing back Coke in a glass bottle makes way more sense. Everyone knows it tastes better that way. I mean, honestly—what’s the point in stirrup pants?”

He gave me that look. You know the one. The “you’ve lost your mind” look.

“If you want a bottle opener in case Coke in a glass bottle comes back,” he said, “buy a bottle opener. No point keeping this bulky broken can opener.”

I gasped. “And waste resources? Add more plastic and metal to the landfill when we already have a perfectly good bottle opener attached to a semi-retired can opener?”

He muttered some words I can't print in a G-rated blog and threw his hands up in surrender.

When Packing Mirrors Life

Later that night, while I was feeling quite victorious about my environmental stewardship (and my foresight about Coca-Cola’s future marketing plans), I started thinking. My husband and I don’t just pack differently—we approach life differently.

He moves quickly, focused on getting the job done. I move carefully, trying to make sure everything ends up in its proper place. But the truth is, we need both. Sometimes life calls for action and decisiveness; other times, it calls for reflection and discernment.

Ecclesiastes 3:6 says,

“A time to keep and a time to throw away.”

It’s not always easy to tell which time it is. We hold on to things—sometimes out of sentiment, sometimes out of fear of needing them again. Other times, we toss things we later wish we’d kept.

Maybe the wisdom comes from inviting God into the process—into our homes, our hearts, and yes, even our packing. Because whether we’re sorting through boxes or life decisions, He knows what’s worth holding on to and what we’re better off releasing.

And who knows? Maybe one day Coca-Cola will bring back those glass bottles. If they do, I’ll be ready.

Blessings,

Angela

Don't Miss Out on Angela's Blogs

I hope these musings made your day a little brighter. If you'd like to read more of my blogs, join my monthly email list by clicking the "Join Now" button and providing your name and email address.

JOIN NOW

Angela L. Gold is an encourager who shares the love of Christ in her writing. She is the author of The Lion Within and Kill Shot.