Simplify

Simplify. A word that brings thoughts of peace and quiet and soothed souls. Rory has been longing for this and I am more and more convinced we have too much “stuff” in our lives. How far the simplification will go is still up for discussion between us. Will we just get rid of “things” and stay in our house? Or will we sell almost everything and start over again in a smaller, sleeker space?

Right now, what we really know is that we are tired of all the clutter that needs attention (and cleaning). Our minds are tired and our bodies are slowing down. We want to spend time together doing fun and relaxing activities. Spend more time with our children and grandchildren making memories.

We are still working—Rory is overworking (type A personality!). We are even having trouble finding time and a focus on where we want to spend a few days away! Do we cruise, road trip or find a nice resort on a lake or the ocean? Or, Rory’s dream—a cabin in the woods with the dog. I’d need a stack of books for that one!

What I find interesting is how when we started our life together we had so little—money, things, even the necessities of life often escaped us! We lived paycheck to paycheck and those were small paychecks. We’ve spent 40 years together gathering the bits and pieces we now call our life and home. Some things are sentimental, some are just junk—some are wonderfully useful and we use them every day. We need to find the difference and the balance.

Part of this simplify process will involve replacing furniture and other things with more quality goods than we have had held onto. I don’t know how much of that will take place, but…

What I do know is that both of our minds will work better and stress less if we can unclutter our space.

So, what does that look like?

Here’s our plan for this summer:

Clean out (and get rid of) our small storage locker. Really, when you can’t fit everything into a 2800 square foot home—that’s a problem!
We live in a two-story home, and usually just use the bottom floor. The upstairs was all for the kids when they were living here, and now it is perfect for guest rooms. The problem is those rooms and closets are full of old furniture and miscellaneous junk. Time to clean house!
Our garage has undergone many remodels over the years, but is still too full of “stuff”. A deep cleaning and organizing event needs to happen there.
My office, Rory’s office and the laundry room are prime for some tender loving care, and we have several closet spaces that need to be explored!
Finally, after all of this—a yard sale! Talk about cathartic…..all those loose ends, bits and pieces taken care of and shared with others. That will be a relief.

The end result will make daily life more serene. It will give us time to focus on other things, (such as blogging!), and it will enhance our surroundings going into the last 1/3 of our lives. Ultimately, we hope to stop working in a few years, downsize even more (think condo) and spend even more time learning, traveling, adventuring with our family.