Over the past few years, I have encountered more people that had had to address the idea of aging themselves or having to support aging parents. Thank God, we are all living longer, however, this phenomenon has introduced changes in our way of life that we had not anticipated. So now is the time to “DeClutter for the Future!” Many of you may already be overwhelmed with what’s ahead and you have no idea of where to begin. Sometimes, the hardest part is asking for help and support. Please allow me to outline what I believe are the opportunities that you may be facing in your particular season of life.
READY! **
Your lives are extremely hectic, even more so these days, in light of the pandemic. Not only are you adjusting to the children becoming teens, an awakening all its own, but you are in the throes of managing your own home AND your parents are entering a new season of life. As a result, you may have to consider the following:
- Decluttering your own living space, considering our new virtual way of life.
- Decluttering the family home, where your parents have lived for 25+ years.
- Parents downsizing to a smaller, more manageable space.
- Parents encountering health issues and assisted living may be necessary.
SET! ***
We, myself included, are coming to the realization that our children do not want our stuff. Many of us have discovered that our children are not emotionally attached to the things that we hold dear, like the precious china and silver from our great-grand parents. Therefore, we have to declutter our own spaces of all the stuff that we have held on to, to give to our children or grandchildren. In addition, for some, our grown children have had to return home and therefore, the empty nest is no longer empty.
We too, have parents that are entering a new season and we have discovered that they also have held on to a lot of stuff and now we are faced with helping them to downsize and declutter. Many of our parents were born in an era when you had to keep stuff “just in case” and many of us are now the same way, but we don’t want our children to have to ruffle through all our stuff.
GO! ****
Then there are those of us that have entered a new season and we are some or all of the above. We are transitioning into another phase of Living. Some are considering retirement and others have already retired. As part of the transition, many have decided to stay in our homes, which we have been in for 25+ years. As most of us know, over time we’ve accumulate a lifetime of “stuff” and now we must decide what we really want to keep.
As an experienced professional organizer and a woman that have lived a number of the scenarios outlined above, I know that these are monumental tasks. No matter your season of life, my goal is to guidance you through the organizing process, in order to minimize your stress and anxiety. As I often say, my mission is to break down the elephant into bite-size pieces. The key is to start early and take one bite at a time. I’m here to help you to Order Your Steps! I believe that your first step is to acknowledge that you may need some support and then the second step is simply to make the phone call.
Finding Order in Chaos 