Accumulation

It has been a tough few months.  Since December I have been spending my Sundays cleaning out my mom's house.  After about ten years since she has passed, we (the trust) are selling the house.  It amazed me as to how much stuff can be accumulated even after years of removing stuff.  It seems as if every time I look into a corner, I find remnants of my mom.  Weekly I go through and take notes as to what needs to be done.  Yard work, misc. things throughout the house.  And yet I always find something left behind.

I live in a small house in Torrance.  It was the trade off of location, close to work, nice city and barely affordable.  Yet as time went by, it is full of stuff from years of collecting by a Teacher and Engineer.  Not to mention sports, Scouts, school, church, Indian Guides and any other activity. The youngest son had a reputation of having access to anything needed.  Friends would ask to borrow something, he would come home and we would rummage through the house and garage.  Seldom did we not find what would suffice.

This brings us to son number two.  The newly anointed lawyer.  As he helped me finish one of the last tasks of replacing the non functioning rollers on the sliding glass doors, I promised him that when the house was sold, the next project will be our house.  The goal is to not leave stuff (he uses a different term) where he will have to rent a dumpster to empty the house.

Of course that means letting go, of my stuff.  The hard part is not letting go, but giving up the notion that someone can use the item.  Trash it?  The Salvation Army won't take it?  It is way out of date? It's a family heirloom (OK, that may be stretching it a bit), give up my tools? She hasn't taught that grade in 10 years,  but it is still usable!  And as soon as I get rid of it, I or someone else will need one!!!

OK Jordan, I will earmark in my will, money in a hidden bank account to rent two dumpsters.