So much has changed since my last post that I wasn't even sure it was worth it to get back on here. I moved almost two years ago to another part of town, and as I've been settling in more and more I've had more reasons to think about my space and how best to use it. I lost my father and mother-in-law in the last two years also, which on top of the grieving is making me contemplate more and more how we love and remember people we lost while also dealing with the business side of their belongings.
Last week I read The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, by Margareta Magnusson. I found it at the library a couple years ago when it was on a "recommended" shelf, and I told myself I would read it someday. I thought it would be too difficult to read at that time. I borrowed it when I realized that I too need to consider preparing for any of my loved ones who survive me. It's not quite what I expected. The writer uses a gentle, matter-of-fact tone to explain how it works, from accepting facts to proceeding with the cleaning itself. She is a professional artist and her pen-and-ink illustrations are delightful. I am glad that I waited to read it until after I had cleaned out my father's house and held the estate sale. I think I did a really good job, with my siblings' help, getting it all in order, but I didn't want to think too much how someday I would have to face what will happen to me one day, and what I can do to make cleaning out my belongings easier. Someone will make a fantastic estate sale in my home at some point, however.
When I moved, I got rid of several carloads of things and even had a thrift store pick up some furniture from my house. I still had way too many things! Now that I've taken on some of my parents' furniture and keepsakes, I've had to go through the whole process all over again. I made a trip to the William Temple House Thrift Store with several boxes and bags of housewares that had moved with me. I went through my knickknacks and culled a bunch of things that I no longer need to display, and along with some plant pots that I no longer need, I attended the Really Really Free Market (@rrfmpdx on Instagram) at Gateway Discovery Park this afternoon. Most of those things were gone after an hour! I also donated some tech equipment from an old job to Free Geek. Now I have new goals for my home so I'm hoping those things will find loving homes. It's so nice to have those extra cubic feet of space. I'm not done yet either! There were a few things I didn't have room for in the car!
I'm so glad the RRFM is still happening. I always manage to give away things I have that aren't in perfect condition but are still useful and nice-looking. For instance, my ceramic flower pots had a couple of dings but were still really cute, and I had cleaned them up a bit. Now I have a cleaner garage and porch and I can make use of the things that I still have. I'm more motivated to garden without the mess that I was dealing with, and I'm ready to re-organize my planting area. I'm already thinking about what else I can bring next time I go to the event.
I have to admit that William Temple House has become the place where I bring items that I feel slightly guilty about giving away. Today I brought them a china dinner set and a silver-plated tea service that had belonged to my in-laws in decades prior. Someone else will have a blast throwing a dinner party with those things.
I'm partly motivated to do all of this because of other changes going on in my life (more on that later) and having the new space makes me want to make more advances. I will have to remember to take more before-and-after shots of my work to share. I don't get an overwhelming urge to get rid of things. It starts as a small, quiet thought, and when I return to that thought I know that I'm ready. It's important to take the time you need with these things, but it will feel right when you're ready and you will trust yourself more as the process continues.
