Relationship with Things

 My husband and my grandparents and parents were survivors of wars— when want was rampant and little could be purchased. They made minimalists today look like amateurs.

I went the other way, became a packrat. I am now a recovering packrat through necessity and preference.

Hum, why?

• I had to go through the things that hubby’s parents had in their outbuildings. (They kept things from their holiday home after they sold it.) If it worked or could be fixed, they kept it. The inside of the house was minimalist.
• My mom’s house was always minimalist. Both parents were disabled—money was always tight.
• Family and friends have physical disabilities, and I want them able to visit my home safely.
• I don’t want to clean and dust around the stuff anymore.
• We are starting on the second year of staying at home—I’m tired of looking at all this stuff I need to dust. Time to practice Swedish Death Cleaning—some more (for the smaller things.)

How?

• Visit staged homes for inspiration.
• Give everything a specific “home.”
• Rein in collections to “special” pieces, not just pieces that are part of the large collection.
• Put pictures on a flash drive and “slide show” them.
• Finally, I have more time to enjoy family and friends with less maintenance cleaning, read, write, and enjoy crafting!

Ouch!

This spring, I’m tackling my “she-shed.”

• I’ve been trying to downsize it for the last few years; however, life got in the way!
• It is time. We are through remodeling our home, and some of the things I kept for the remodel can now go to a new home or a charity organization.
• I have craft supplies; I want to complete or create gift craft packages or donate to an organization where residents can use the supplies.
• I plan on organizing my catering supplies better and taking a thorough inventory.

For the future.

• It is time to give back.
• It is time to share.
• It is time to let go and soar!