Photos: John and Suzanne’s Mom.
John rescued a worn poster collecting dust in storage. One of Suzanne’s choices was a fruit bowl she saw in our house since she was a baby.
I ran into Mary Louise one day this spring taking her constitutional in the park. She asked what was new. I told her we were downsizing prior to moving to a retirement place in town. She said she didn’t think she’d ever be able to do that because there were certain things she could never part with. For example, she said, neither of her kids wanted her grandmother’s table linens, and she couldn’t imagine passing them to anyone outside the family.
I do think being unable to separate from possessions is a deal breaker for moving to a smaller space, although linens would fit.
I admit that downsizing is no fun at all. It’s a ton of work finding where every item in your house should go and then following through. Take pictures for the kids. Remind them to get back to you with a yes or no. If they don’t want something, does it go to consignment? Will consigners pick up? Do you transport 20 bags of books to the library for its June sale? Donate unwanted treasures to charity? Or post them on a local Buy Nothing Facebook group? (I am here to tell you that even if free, no one wants an old, heavy ironing board or a rocker that needs recaning.)
Do you even have time for this mishegoss?
It takes forever, but I think it has to be done. I still remember how upset one of Suzanne’s Girl Scout moms was back in the 1980s when her parents cleaned out their house without giving the kids a chance to take what they wanted. You have to make a good-faith effort to get that right, knowing that sometimes you’ll mess up. It certainly helps to have kids who can negotiate if they both like the same item.
And if my husband and I have learned one thing from the process, it’s that you cannot possibly guess what the kids will want. Over and over again, we were surprised. That beat-up, old steamer trunk? Suzanne wants it if it has a flat top. Huh? OK, it’s hers.
Anyway, I want to mention that an unexpected plus of downsizing is how satisfying it is to see your items incorporated into your children’s homes.
Suzanne's Mom's Blog 