Downsizing Your Life

I realized early in the process that downsizing from my big-ass house and moving to a condo wasn’t going to be easy. Although it was the right decision at the time, I was overwhelmed by the jaw-clenching enormity of the job. So I did the only sensible…

When I was young, I used to think that things sort-of worked out in the course of a life. I mean things, like your pots and pans and your cutlery and your living room furniture. I imagined you bought all this stuff when you were young and then they were just…

I came across this quote about clearing clutter on – of all places – a medical website, and it struck me as the perfect way to look at the “too much stuff” conundrum I’m still struggling with. If you have so much stuff it drags you into…

A friend of mine used to say, “Why do today what can easily be put off until tomorrow?” Downsizing a substantial photo collection can definitely be one of those things that can easily get started tomorrow, or the day after…

Are you downsizing? Did you struggle with some of your favorite possessions? Have you thought about downsizing your photos? One of our downsizing challenges was 60+ years of photos were stored in 5 large plastic storage containers that needed two people…

Spring cleaning has been viewed as a tradition and ritual for thousands of years, with the earliest roots found in Jewish, Middle Eastern and Chinese cultures. For these cultures, and now here in the United States, spring cleaning corresponds…

Aging brings many surprises. Sometimes, it’s a slow advance. It creeps up; a twinge, almost imperceptible the first time. Then a creak. We start slowing down to accommodate new aches, encroaching weariness, and shorter…

Enjoying life’s second half is more about presence and experience and less about the stuff we’ve stockpiled along the way. With our Golden Years in sight, now is the perfect time to lighten our load, pare back and purge so we can focus on the things that matter…

As I look back on my life, I can see all the events and circumstances that brought me to where I am now. I am grateful for every situation and relationship that helped me to grow into the woman I am today…

I remember the morning 13+ years ago when I woke up still in Brazil thanks to lingering jet lag. I had just spent a beautiful Christmas with my son and his wife in Cumbuco, Brazil. Spending a week by a sparkling beach in a simple and minimalist flat…