Aging, as much as we would like to deny it, is inevitable. Among the things that often come with aging, besides great wisdom and hearing aids, is the hassle of downsizing to a smaller home. The reality is for you, your parent, or your grandparent, that it has come to the point where the kids are out of the house, and the yard and interior are just getting to be too much for one or two people to handle. Downsizing is the next logical and very common step. That is not to say that it is an easy step. In fact, downsizing can be extremely time consuming and emotionally taxing as one must decide which items — items that have been a part of one’s life for so long – must be let go.
The Sane Jane solution to the hassle of downsizing is to not procrastinate until the day of. Start as early as possible, start today. Make getting rid of things you no longer use, have duplicates of, or no longer need, a part of your everyday life. Like a previous blog about putting a bag in your closet to fill with items you no longer wear, try applying this method to other areas of your house, or specifically going through the linen closet or attic a couple times a year to get rid of unnecessary items. That way, when the day finally comes for you to pack up and move into a smaller home or facility, downsizing will not be such a large or emotional task.
I won’t lie to you and tell you that downsizing is fun, because it’s not. It is tough to say good bye to items that have defined your life in order to make room for a new chapter of life. However, like aging, downsizing is pretty inevitable. Thus, prepare for the inevitable by starting today. Most of all, remember what is really important in life: relationships, connections, and fond memories, not that trophy you won in 1984 for a pizza eating contest. 😉
The Challenges of Downsizing
