Greetings
all!
Recently
at lunch a very young colleague of mine mentioned that she told her friends
what flowers and music to have at her funeral [hopefully at some very distant future]. While a bit morbid, she
thought it would be considerate towards her friends so that they did not have
to think about those things during their time of grief.
As
I was pondering this, I came across the book “The Gentle Art of Swedish Death
Cleaning: How to free yourself and your family from a lifetime of clutter.” The
main message is to “remove unnecessary things and make your home nice and
orderly when you think the time is coming closer for you to leave the planet.”
Image from www.cartoonstock.com
In my opinion, most of us have (and continue to acquire) a lot of possessions that unnecessarily
crowd our physical and mental space; and it is a nice idea to declutter
periodically, regardless of where you are in your life journey.
Here
are some of my favorite passages:
“..It
is rewarding to spend time with these objects one last time and then dispose of
them. Each item has its own history, and remembering this history is often enjoyable.
Death
cleaning is not about dusting or mopping up; it is a permanent form of
organization that makes your everyday life run more smoothly.
Don’t
start with photographs – or letters and personal papers, for that matter.
Life
becomes more pleasant and comfortable if we get rid of some of the abundance.
It
is not the amount of clothing that makes a person well-dressed. [It is] all
about choosing clothing carefully and then organizing it well. [My note – I
love this! This is so Marie Kondo, the Spark Joy lady!!!]
Mess
is an unnecessary source of irritation.
Sometimes
the smallest changes can have amazing effects.
To
hunt for misplaced things is never an effective use of your time.
A
loved one wishes to inherit nice
things form you. Not all things from
you.
This
cycle of consumption we are all part of will eventually destroy our planet –
but it doesn’t have to destroy the relationship you have with whomever you
leave behind.
To
know something will be well used and have a new home is a joy.
If
you think the secret will cause your loved ones harm or unhappiness, then make
sure to destroy them.
When
I find things …that have absolutely no value to anyone else, but enormous value
for me, I ... get my “Throw Away” box. Once I am gone, the box can be
destroyed.”
I
think this paragraph from the book sums it up nicely, “Death cleaning is also
something you can do for yourself, for your own pleasure. One’s own pleasure,
and the chance to find meaning and memory, is the most important thing. It is a
delight to go through things and remember their worth. And if you don’t
remember why a thing has meaning or why you kept it, it has no worth, and it
will be easier for you to part with.”
I
really enjoyed reading this book. It was wise and philosophical in a gentle and
humorous way and gave some good tips and ideas on decluttering!
What
did you think? Drop me a line!
