“Mom died-funeral on Monday”

Of all the ads on Craigslist that I see, I think this was one of the saddest. It read:

          Mom died and funeral is Monday.  MUST SELL A LOT to pay for funeral.

The pictures were of rooms that were brimming over with STUFF.  I mean TABLES full of tchotchkes, doodads, collectibles, furniture, lamps, etc.  It was breathtaking.

If you’re a garage saler like I am, you’ve probably seen a few of these estate sales with endless piles.  They always bring on melancholic feelings for me.  People accumulate, value and hoard things only to have strangers pawing over items for a .25.

But this ad brought a deeper level of sorrow for me.  They were selling stuff to pay for her funeral.  Oh, suweet babee Jesus.  Instead of grieving and comforting one another, her kids were busy organizing and running an estate sale. Instead of a little financial planning for final expense, it was clear the dearly departed had been busy shopping.

I know I sound like a broken record but this is why I plead with older folks-PLEASE. Deal with your shit. If you don’t someone else will have to.

Imagine for a moment that I show up on your doorstep with a dump truck full of trash and then beep,beep,beep! (that’s the back up beeper), I unload it right into your living room. How would you feel about that? You had been heading out the door to go enjoy life but now you must cancel your plans and clear the debris.

When folks learn I am a junk-thrower-outer (anymore, I prefer that title to “organizer”), they will mention a loved one who has piles of stuff. They will tell me how they dread having to deal with it., not unlike me dumping a load into their living room

If you are having trouble uncluttering, please consider this an invitation to explore-why is that?  And know that there is help available if you are ready to clear some space.  Start by asking a friend to help you.