Who Will Clean Out Our Mess When We Cannot?

Look around you! How much have you accummulated in your lifetime? Who will clean it out when you are no longer able. It is a scary thought, especially for those of us who have no children to do this for us. Do I want a stranger or even a friend to have to go through my things and get rid of those things which I could have but chose not to?

Yesterday, I talked to one of my neighbors when we were both at the market. His father was recently taken ill and the family has decided to move him from Florida to California when he is better. The plans are to put him into an assisted living facility close to both of his sons.  It reminded me of when my brother put my mother in a nursing home and had to clear out her apartment in a few days. She had a lot of stuff. Like I did then, I could not help but think of all my things and what would happen to them if something happened to me and my husband.

Downsizing may not be fun, but it is something that most of us will have to do in our lives. I live in a second floor apartment. Roger and I are getting older. Carrying groceries up the stairs and laundry down is difficult. We would like to move to a first floor apartment or a building with an elevator. Before we can do that, we really do need to get rid of some of the burden we are carrying.

Downsizing can be done slowly, quickly or somewhere inbetween. How fast you go depends on many things. How ready are you to get rid of stuff no longer necessary to your life? Will you ever really need it again? It is something you can do without but want to give to a family member or a friend. If you don't really need it, give it to them so they can enjoy it now. If you need it, make sure you have it labeled to be given to them.

If you have a scanner or a printer that scans, you can take a lot of your paperwork and scan it onto a disk. You can then place the papers somewhere that is out of the way, just in case you may need them again. You can do the same thing with pictures. How many pictures do you have that you don't look at because they never went into a scape book or are sitting somewhere in a box that is difficult to get to. When the pictures are scanned, you will have them. You can also use them on cards and put together little memory books for family as a reminder of some of the good times you have had. These little memory books make great gifts for holidays and special occasions.

Another question is how long to you keep certain documents? I just went through and shredded checks from 2003, 2004 and 2006. Tax documents should be kept for five to seven years. If you own a house, you will want to keep pertinent documents until you sell the house. Most copies of credit cards and bills, unless used for backup for your tax documents can be gotten rid of at least by the end of the year. Again, this is where scanning documents come in handy.

As for me, I find that I need to take baby steps. I need to go through a closet for example. When it is done, it takes me awhile to get to the next project. But like the tortoise, slow and steady gets the job done. Already, I can tell a difference in my environment. I feel better. Now, I need to keep it up, remembering that it takes 30 days to build a habit.

How are you handling downsizing or getting rid of clutter? Let me know. I will be glad to answer any questions you may have. Let's do it slowly and surely.

Where Is Your Starting Point On This Journey of Change?

When you start on a journey, it helps to identify your starting point. This serves as a measure of your progress. The same is true in losing weight and turning your life around. This is not a time to judge ourselves and say how bad things are. This is just a look. There is no condemnation. It is just a snapshot that tells you were you are at this moment.

This snapshot will be three dimensional. We will look at the physical, mental and environment.  In other words, your weight, your thought patterns and words as well as your physical surroundings (where you live)

1. Physical means getting on the scale and looking at what it is telling us. It is not pleasant to  see how much we have gained; however, consider the end of the journey and the pleasure you will feel when you have released all that weight. Notice I said released, that means that you are going to let it go and not find it again. How many of us have lost the pounds and found them again, and again, and again.

2. Mental means  looking at our words and thoughts. They also form a picture of us. What is our self-talk? Do we continually berate or belittle ourselves? Do we ignore the problem and hope it will go away.  Do you make jokes about your weight? Are you that funny fat person who is really crying on the inside? Or can you look at yourself objectively? If you can, then that is what you need to do now. Just listen to your words and your thought patterns for a day or two. Take notes to keep at a record of where you are now.

3. Environmental  means seeing  our surroundings. Do you live in an ordered world where everything is in its place, or is it full of stuff that fills your space?  Just as we put weight on as a protective barrier, we also tend to clutter up our lives with stuff. The question is do we need to let go of some of that stuff. Are you a hoarder? You may not know if you need something, but you want it there, just in case you do. Do you have food in your kitchen cabinets that is outdated, that is unhealthy for you, that is there to sabotage you in those weak moments?  Take a look. If there anything in your home that you have not used in a year or two, that is outdated, broken, no longer a part of your life (even if you were suddenly to get thin again)?  In life, we go through changes. We do not need to continue carrying those things of the past that have no value for us at this stage of the game.  I think you get the picture.

What does your snapshot look like? Mine is not a pretty picture at this new beginning of my life. My weight is 241 pounds, my one-bedroom apartment is crammed with books, computers and boxes. We have five cabinets (three enclosed to hide the stuff), and that is just in the living room-dining room. While I am fairly practical, I find that it is easy to come down hard on myself, I have learned a lot on the first year of this journey to lose weight. I have to simplify my life, to get rid of the clutter, to get rid of the fat, and the bad habits that got me here again. I am writing this blog because I feel that I have turned the corner and that from here on out, I will be letting go of those things no longer necessary in my life. Letting go of my cross stitching was hard, but it needed to be done. I can do this and so can you. We are not in a race, we are on a journey that progresses each day as we take back control of our lives.

What does your picture look like? I would love to hear from you. Remember we are not judging, we are just identifying our starting point. Now that we have identified our starting point, the next step is to look at some of our choices that we make daily. But that is the subject of another blog. I hope to talk to you again next time.

If you have any comments, please share them in the comments section below. Thank you.