Our lives are disappearing in the form of objects and furniture leaving the house. Some things will be rediscovered when our boxes emerge from storage at a future date. Others will be gone forever, hopefully to create pleasure for new owners.
Many personal items were accumulated over our combined 150 years in this world. Still more were inherited from our parents and grandparents. It is a challenge to release precious items into unknown hands. Although we understand that "it is just stuff"... there is still an emotional attachment.
Yesterday I watched three young men load my drafting/art table into the back of a truck. That table had been with me for 40 years. In the past it provided support for my graphic design business. Its surface held and supported the creation of my attempts in the art world on its steel frame over four decades. One of the young men who loaded it into the truck turned to me and asked "Are you an artist?" I nodded and he told me that he was an oil painter about to open a small studio in town. That was when I knew that my art table was going to the right home.
If I could share any advice or wisdom from this exercise it would be to "start purging early and often"! I know many people in their 80's who have not taken the time to reduce their household collection or have not wanted to tackle the challenge. Maybe they don't want to face the thought that we will all leave our earthly existence at some point. That is a guarantee! Releasing our possessions doesn't get easier as we advance in age but we should not leave the task to our children or others. That just isn't fair!
So, as our possessions walk out the door...heading toward thrift shops, landfill and other homes...I rejoice and look forward to being free of the weight that accompanies the burden of "stuff".
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