Re-landscaping our front yard so that it’s easier to take care of is just one way we are trying to simplify. Our effort to live lighter is happening inside our house too. Over the past few months, we have been making our way slowly through each room in our house, finding items we can give-away, donate, toss, or consign.
When we purchased our home in 1994, we combined two separate household’s worth of stuff. Getting rid of duplicates wasn’t too difficult; most of the time there was a clear “winner,” based on condition or newness. Now, we are down to my treasures and his junk (he’d say it’s the other way around, but this is my blog).
My inspiration for paring down has come from two fronts. One is a couple we know who, following multiple moves, has finally culled their possessions down to only the most important. I expect that they are never embarrassed, as we often are, when an unexpected visitor shows up at their front door.
The other is my brothers’ and my current challenge of clearing my parents’ home of over 50 years of accumulations. Separating items into “toss” “giveaway” “donate” and “consign” or “eBay” is often interrupted when we come across a box of photographs or a collection of old letters. Some things just cannot be rushed…
