I am truly fulfilled by what I do and love telling people about it. I write and share short weekly articles called “blogs” on the themes of: family treasures, letting go of stuff, sentiment & nostalgia, preserving memories, supporting the moves of our elders, and more. You can receive these blogs weekly by email by signing up at the bottom of the page.
Feedback is aways welcome. Enjoy!
I love this pithy line shared by an adult daughter who is helping her mother downsize. After selecting what she would take to her new smaller home, the older woman suggested that her daughter could take much of what was left. Her daughter’s response was “Mom, your downsizing cannot be my upsizing.”
Read More"How do I find the balance of saying YES and NO to my parents as they downsize their home and ask me to take items?” This common question comes from adult children who are helping their parents right-size or downsize their homes.
The adult child's question about a balance of YES and NO frequently follows a time of saying: “I can’t take any more of your stuff, Mom!” (Your Downsizing Can’t Be Be My Upsizing).
Although “upsizing” was not their goal, two friends offer their wisdom about taking more-than-less as they help their parents downsize.
Read MoreHow do you let go of inherited sentimental objects when there are just too many tools, teacups, kitchen utensils, ornaments, or (add your category)?
This question came from a client whom I will call Dave who had inherited 20 old tools from his father. He had vivid memories of his Dad using each of the tools around the farm or house. Every time that Dave saw the tools, he remembered his Dad with great affection. However, he was moving to a smaller space and had his own more up-to-date tools of which he needed very few. HIs Dad's beloved old tools had become a burden, yet he couldn’t bear to put the tools in a garage sale as he felt like he was ‘selling’ his father.
Read MoreI love this pithy line shared by an adult daughter who is helping her mother downsize in the midst of the pandemic. After selecting what she would take to her new smaller home, the older woman suggested that her daughter could take much of what was left. Her daughter’s response was “Mom, your downsizing cannot be my upsizing!"
In Mindful Compassion While Seniors Downsize, I shared some reasons why seniors struggle with downsizing. For many of these generous folk, an easy solution would be for their adult children to take everything that the senior no longer needs and incorporate the items into their own homes.
How many of us have been asked to do just that? And can’t or choose not to.
Here are some suggestions to help you:
Read MoreAs we experience our third month of physical distancing because of the pandemic, the reality of this long marathon is slowly sinking in. Many of us are experiencing quarantine-fatigue. We rose to the immediate crisis that presented itself in March and found ways to cope with dramatic changes in our lives. But we are tired ~ physically, emotionally, psychologically, spiritually ~ and we still live in a traumatic situation.
We are all in stormy seas. But we are not in the same boat.
I love this pithy line shared by an adult daughter who is helping her mother downsize. After selecting what she would take to her new smaller home, the older woman suggested that her daughter could take much of what was left. Her daughter’s response was “Mom, your downsizing cannot be my upsizing.”
In How Do I Help My Parents to Downsize, I shared some reasons why seniors struggle with downsizing. For many of these generous folk, an easy solution would be for their adult children to take everything that the senior no longer needs and incorporate the items into their own homes.
How many of us have been asked to do just that? And can’t or choose not to.
Here are some suggestions to help you:
Read MoreMany adults are helping senior family members downsize because of an imminent move to a smaller home or because their current home feels too full of stuff.
Unless continuous clearing of possessions has been a priority for older generations or they have strong minimalist tendencies, most seniors have a lot of stuff. This may be difficult for younger generations to understand. I commonly hear “Why can’t you get rid of stuff? or “Why did you buy all this stuff?” as younger family members struggle with their feelings of frustration and weariness in supporting their elders.
Read MoreHow do you keep on downsizing and not get stuck with YOUR OWN sentimental items such as photos, letters, greeting cards, and mementos? This question came from a client whom I will call Laurie who has read Downsizing INHERITED Sentimental Objects .
Laurie is rightsizing and organizing her own home, and at the same time is helping her parents downsize to a smaller home.
Read MoreHow do I save my story for next generations as I downsize?
This question emerged from my recent blog postings about honouring a farmer’s life, and ways to symbolically honour other jobs.
Some careers do not have obvious symbols that can easily be preserved in a shadow box or by placing a particular object on a shelf.
What are some options to honour one’s work life as we downsize, change careers or retire? Readers posed this question in response to my recent posting about recognizing a grain farmer’s lifetime impact on Canada’s economy and feeding the world. Other readers suggested ways that they might remember their own work lives.
So what’s the situation? As we change careers, move to smaller housing, or simply wish to have less stuff around, what do we do with the tools of the trade that meant so much to us? Examples include stacks of teacher lesson plans or a driver’s logbooks.
Read MoreAre you looking for a way to make your downsizing or spring decluttering more fun? How about the Five OR 10 Game?
If you are burdened with too many bowls or screwdrivers or garden rakes or ball caps (perish the thought!), here is one way to decrease your numbers.
As your eye wanders over your collection, set yourself a number. Is it five or 10 or 12 (what’s your lucky number?). That number is your limit. Now choose which five or 10 or 12 items to keep.
Read MoreHow many of us have a pile of stuff that we just can’t get sorted? I’m overwhelmed by 3 boxes of unsorted papers in a corner of my office. I wonder every day if there is anything valuable in those boxes. Looking at them tires me out and I ignore them for another week.
Similarly, friends Pete & Sue have a shed filled with old garden tools and feel overwhelmed at the thought of organizing it. My neighbour Linda has a corner in the lower level of her house piled high with outgrown family clothes, school supplies, and sports equipment in disarray.
Do you share a similar feeling of “I don’t know where to start”?
Read More
