Sometimes

Sometimes the best thing you can do is leave.

I just spent hours helping a relative move. It was hot, physically grueling work. I really didn't mind the work, but the lack of organization was frustrating.

All of the suggestions I have made about sorting out what you don't want to keep ahead of time were laughed off. They wanted to keep it all -- until today when they realized they don't have room for it all.

All of the suggestions I made about labeling boxes were ignored. Things were mostly just thrown into open boxes, or even into the cars in piles and then there was a great deal of talk about what and where it went as we unpacked the trucks and cars.

I unloaded six van loads of stuff mostly by myself as they struggled to decide what to do with the surplus of stuff and the big furniture.

When I left this afternoon, after a day and a half of work, the cars and vans were empty, but the trucks, with four people working, were not.

He suggested I help her sort through boxes inside and put things away. I knew from experience she would ignore anything I said and besides, who can decide which of someone else's things is worth keeping?

Everyone was exhausted and we would have only ended up bickering.  I have moved many times in my life and organization is everything.

I realize that these people all have minor disabilities, but they never waver from their right to be the ones in charge and they think they are absolutely right about everything. Sometimes the best way to learn that your way doesn't really work is to just do it and find out.

But of course they may not even realize it didn't work. They may think that every move is this uncoordinated, this long and this messy.

Sometimes the best thing you can do is finish your part and leave. You are not obligated to clean up the messes they choose to experience.