--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sometime in the second week it becomes…" description: "\"“Sometime in the second week it becomes clear to Molly that “cleaning out the attic” means taking things out, fretting over them for a few minutes, and..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21e/christina-baker-kline-1124_attic_sometime-in-the-second-week-it-becomes-c_2637953.png" --- # Sometime in the second week it becomes clear to Molly that… ![“Sometime in the second week it becomes clear to Molly that “cleaning out the attic” means taking things out, fretting over them for a few minutes, and putting them back where they were, in a slightly neater stack. Out of the two dozen boxes she and Vivian have been through so far, only a short…” quote by Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21e/christina-baker-kline-1124_attic_sometime-in-the-second-week-it-becomes-c_2637953.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21e/christina-baker-kline-1124_attic_sometime-in-the-second-week-it-becomes-c_2637953.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21e/christina-baker-kline-1124_attic_sometime-in-the-second-week-it-becomes-c_2637953.png) > ““Sometime in the second week it becomes clear to Molly that “cleaning out the attic” means taking things out, fretting over them for a few minutes, and putting them back where they were, in a slightly neater stack. Out of the two dozen boxes she and Vivian have been through so far, only a short pile of musty books and some yellowed linen have been deemed too ruined to keep. “I don’t think I’m helping you much,” Molly says. “Well, that’s true,” Vivian says. “But I’m helping you, aren’t I?”” [Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Molly learns that cleaning the attic is a ritual of confronting memories, sorting what to keep, and accepting loss. **In simple terms:** Cleaning reveals what we hold onto and what we let go. Key Takeaway Embrace the process of sorting and releasing. Themes memory loss acceptance ritual growth Mood nostalgic reflective Type literary conversational When to use this quote - family therapy - personal reflection - organizing spaces - dealing with nostalgia Key Concepts psychology grief attachment decluttering Questions to Reflect On - What items do you keep out of habit? - How does letting go change your sense of self? A Different Perspective The act may not solve deeper issues, only surface them. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attic/) [Attic Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attic-means-2243933/) [Cleaning Attic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cleaning-attic-607454/) [Helping Molly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helping-molly-2243934/) [Molly Cleaning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/molly-cleaning-2243935/) ## Related quotes > [No person who can read is ever successful at cleaning out an attic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-landers/no-person-who-can-read-is-ever-successful-at-cleaning-out-an-attic/) [Ann Landers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-landers/) > [“Vivian said she wanted to clean out her attic. But I think what she really wanted was to see what was in those boxes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/vivian-said-she-wanted-to-clean-out-her-attic-but-i-think-what-she/) [Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/) > [“Turning fifty is an entirely different matter altogether. “At fifty, the madwoman in the attic breaks loose, stomps down the stairs, and sets fire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ban-breathnach/turning-fifty-is-an-entirely-different-matter-altogether-at-fifty-the/) [Sarah Ban Breathnach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ban-breathnach/) > [“Sara!" she cried, aghast. "Mamma Sara!" She was aghast because the attic was so bare and ugly and seemed so far away from all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hodgson-burnett/sara-she-cried-aghast-mamma-sara-she-was-aghast-because-the-attic-was/) [Frances Hodgson Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hodgson-burnett/) > [For my seventh birthday, my parents gave me a plain, unfinished wooden dollhouse. It had six empty rooms, two floors, a staircase, and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-courtney-sullivan/for-my-seventh-birthday-my-parents-gave-me-a-plain-unfinished-wooden/) [J. Courtney Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-courtney-sullivan/) > [But the real interesting stuff is in the cellar and the attic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/but-the-real-interesting-stuff-is-in-the-cellar-and-the-attic/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) > [I always kinda liked our attic ghost. When I was a kid, I used to go up there and read stories to it. Show…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudia-gray/i-always-kinda-liked-our-attic-ghost-when-i-was-a-kid-i-used-to-go-up/) [Claudia Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claudia-gray/) > [American journalism's crazy old aunt in the attic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-thomas/american-journalism-s-crazy-old-aunt-in-the-attic/) [Helen Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-thomas/) > [“Nothing is more charming than the glow of happiness amid squalor. There is a rose-tinted attic in all our lives.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/nothing-is-more-charming-than-the-glow-of-happiness-amid-squalor/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [By the year 1670, wooden chimneys and log houses of the Plymouth and Bay colonies were replaced by more sightly houses of two stories,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-morse-earle/by-the-year-1670-wooden-chimneys-and-log-houses-of-the-plymouth-and/) [Alice Morse Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-morse-earle/) > [“Before she knew it, she was just another set of eyes in a dusty attic, waiting for the stairs to creak.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-moran/before-she-knew-it-she-was-just-another-set-of-eyes-in-a-dusty-attic/) [Kelly Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-moran/) > [“The Citizen's attic was, objectively, breathtaking. The place was littered with trunks and old clothes and wardrobes and pieces of furniture and strange metal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/april-genevieve-tucholke/the-citizen-s-attic-was-objectively-breathtaking-the-place-was/) [April Genevieve Tucholke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/april-genevieve-tucholke/) > [“A book is like a trapdoor that leads to a secret attic: You can open it and go inside. And your world is different.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-iturbe/a-book-is-like-a-trapdoor-that-leads-to-a-secret-attic-you-can-open/) [Antonio Iturbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-iturbe/) > [“The attic of your beautiful throat is laced with owl and cobweb. Night sings north, the need of winter. Look up and know what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-france/the-attic-of-your-beautiful-throat-is-laced-with-owl-and-cobweb-night/) [Linda France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-france/) > [About two years into living in Toronto, my apartment burned to the ground. My husband and I ended up living in his grandparents' attic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-murphy/about-two-years-into-living-in-toronto-my-apartment-burned-to-the/) [Annie Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-murphy/) ## More by Christina Baker Kline > [“Mr. Grote shows me how he grows wild rice in the stream and collects the seeds. The rice is nutty and brown. He plants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/mr-grote-shows-me-how-he-grows-wild-rice-in-the-stream-and-collects/) [Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/) > [“I try to forget the horror of what happened. Or—perhaps forget is the wrong word. How can I forget? And yet how can I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/i-try-to-forget-the-horror-of-what-happened-or-perhaps-forget-is-the/) [Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/) > [“don’t know how much of my memory of this time is affected by my age now and how much is a result of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/don-t-know-how-much-of-my-memory-of-this-time-is-affected-by-my-age/) [Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/) > [“The stark gray sky and bare tree limbs feel more suited to her than the uncomplicated promise of sunny spring days.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/the-stark-gray-sky-and-bare-tree-limbs-feel-more-suited-to-her-than/) [Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/) > [“Sometimes these spirits have been more real to me than people, more real than God. They fill silence with their weight, dense and warm,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/sometimes-these-spirits-have-been-more-real-to-me-than-people-more/) [Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/) > [“Every Easter she and her mother planted those crocuses near the fence beside the driveway, and soon enough a whole cluster of them, white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/every-easter-she-and-her-mother-planted-those-crocuses-near-the-fence/) [Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/) > [“Babies pay no attention to the clock.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/babies-pay-no-attention-to-the-clock/) [Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/) > [“Mr. Kaminski pulled a chain hanging from the pressed-metal kitchen ceiling, and light seeped from a bulb, casting a wan glow over a scarred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/mr-kaminski-pulled-a-chain-hanging-from-the-pressed-metal-kitchen/) [Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/) > [“Before we leave the gravesite, Mary sings Mother's favorite gospel hymn ... Mary's lovely voice rises and lingers in the air, and by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/before-we-leave-the-gravesite-mary-sings-mother-s-favorite-gospel/) [Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/) > [“for the first time since the fire, my worries are gone. I feel a joy so strong it’s almost painful—a knife’s edge of joy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/for-the-first-time-since-the-fire-my-worries-are-gone-i-feel-a-joy-so/) [Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/) > [“What was it the teacher in her Legal Issues class said the other day? Never bring up a point you don’t have an answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/what-was-it-the-teacher-in-her-legal-issues-class-said-the-other-day/) [Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/) > [“Mrs. Scatcherd raps Dutchy's knuckles several times with a long wooden ruler, though it seems to me a halfhearted penalty. He barely winces, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/mrs-scatcherd-raps-dutchy-s-knuckles-several-times-with-a-long-wooden/) [Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/) > [“(There are many ways to be crippled, I’ve learned over the years, many forms of paralysis.)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/there-are-many-ways-to-be-crippled-i-ve-learned-over-the-years-many/) [Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/) > [“This girl may never go anywhere. She should at least know that adventure is in her bones.” When”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/this-girl-may-never-go-anywhere-she-should-at-least-know-that/) [Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/) > [“only link we had to our future was a name scrawled on a piece of paper my father tucked in his shirt pocket as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/only-link-we-had-to-our-future-was-a-name-scrawled-on-a-piece-of/) [Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/) [Explore all 281 Christina Baker Kline quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/) ## More Attic quotes > [About two years into living in Toronto, my apartment burned to the ground. My husband and I ended up living in his grandparents' attic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-murphy/about-two-years-into-living-in-toronto-my-apartment-burned-to-the/) [Annie Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-murphy/) > [“The attic of your beautiful throat is laced with owl and cobweb. Night sings north, the need of winter. Look up and know what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-france/the-attic-of-your-beautiful-throat-is-laced-with-owl-and-cobweb-night/) [Linda France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-france/) > [“A book is like a trapdoor that leads to a secret attic: You can open it and go inside. And your world is different.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-iturbe/a-book-is-like-a-trapdoor-that-leads-to-a-secret-attic-you-can-open/) [Antonio Iturbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-iturbe/) > [“The Citizen's attic was, objectively, breathtaking. The place was littered with trunks and old clothes and wardrobes and pieces of furniture and strange metal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/april-genevieve-tucholke/the-citizen-s-attic-was-objectively-breathtaking-the-place-was/) [April Genevieve Tucholke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/april-genevieve-tucholke/) > [“Before she knew it, she was just another set of eyes in a dusty attic, waiting for the stairs to creak.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-moran/before-she-knew-it-she-was-just-another-set-of-eyes-in-a-dusty-attic/) [Kelly Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-moran/) > [By the year 1670, wooden chimneys and log houses of the Plymouth and Bay colonies were replaced by more sightly houses of two stories,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-morse-earle/by-the-year-1670-wooden-chimneys-and-log-houses-of-the-plymouth-and/) [Alice Morse Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-morse-earle/) > [“Nothing is more charming than the glow of happiness amid squalor. There is a rose-tinted attic in all our lives.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/nothing-is-more-charming-than-the-glow-of-happiness-amid-squalor/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [American journalism's crazy old aunt in the attic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-thomas/american-journalism-s-crazy-old-aunt-in-the-attic/) [Helen Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-thomas/) > [I always kinda liked our attic ghost. When I was a kid, I used to go up there and read stories to it. Show…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudia-gray/i-always-kinda-liked-our-attic-ghost-when-i-was-a-kid-i-used-to-go-up/) [Claudia Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claudia-gray/) > [But the real interesting stuff is in the cellar and the attic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/but-the-real-interesting-stuff-is-in-the-cellar-and-the-attic/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) > [For my seventh birthday, my parents gave me a plain, unfinished wooden dollhouse. It had six empty rooms, two floors, a staircase, and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-courtney-sullivan/for-my-seventh-birthday-my-parents-gave-me-a-plain-unfinished-wooden/) [J. Courtney Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-courtney-sullivan/) > [“Sara!" she cried, aghast. "Mamma Sara!" She was aghast because the attic was so bare and ugly and seemed so far away from all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hodgson-burnett/sara-she-cried-aghast-mamma-sara-she-was-aghast-because-the-attic-was/) [Frances Hodgson Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hodgson-burnett/) > [“Turning fifty is an entirely different matter altogether. “At fifty, the madwoman in the attic breaks loose, stomps down the stairs, and sets fire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ban-breathnach/turning-fifty-is-an-entirely-different-matter-altogether-at-fifty-the/) [Sarah Ban Breathnach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ban-breathnach/) > [“We all have a secret buried under lock and key in the attic of our soul”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/we-all-have-a-secret-buried-under-lock-and-key-in-the-attic-of-our/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafón](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [You may be embarrassed about the way you looked and the wacky clothes you wore when you were young, but normally, at least it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oates/you-may-be-embarrassed-about-the-way-you-looked-and-the-wacky-clothes/) [John Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oates/) [Browse all 72 Attic quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attic/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Sometime in the second week it becomes clear to Molly that “cleaning out the attic” means taking things out, fretting over them for a few minutes, and putting them back where they were, in a slightly neater stack. 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