Downsizing Isn't for Wimps

Downsizing isn’t for wimps. That’s the conclusion I arrived at after visits from our children who live across the country.

On the first day our daughter arrived she looked around and said, “Let’s paint your living room. I was hoping she would say that.

It’s what my daughter said next that I wasn’t prepared for: the prep work.

Step one of “prep work” consisted of tackling the clutter we had lived with so long that we no longer noticed it.

This daughter had the audacity to upbraid us because she noticed a bit of what she termed “junk” in the corners of our living room and bedroom. Kids these days!

“Whaddaya need this stuff for?” She pointed her foot at several boxes.

“It’s your dad’s cassette tape collection. The other 500 are out in the garage.”

“Mom…” she began in an exasperated tone, “Nobody listens to cassette tapes anymore!”

“Your dad does,” I offered lamely.

That was only the beginning. Like a soldier on a search-and-destroy mission, she rooted out things we hadn’t noticed in a long time. She found Christmas CDs we hadn’t seen since last year. They were hiding in the corner beside the cassette tape collection.

A large globe cluttered the top of the bookshelf “because it lights up.”

She ruthlessly rooted out books we intended to read someday but probably won’t. There were several pairs of dime store reading glasses scattered around the house. Various other items had invaded our living space.

As the kid who claims to be her dad’s favorite, this daughter pitched more than the rest of us could hope to accomplish. She’s quick and thorough.

We have to admit, it’s a lot more relaxing to live amid less clutter. And, I have learned to look away when this daughter stalks around the house with a gleam in her eye. We have gone from wimps to survivors. I think I can live with that.

What about you? Any thoughts on downsizing? We'd like to see your comments below.