Making space and moving

Throughout our lives, we move around. My parents grew up in rural communities, and I was about 3 when we moved from town to the country! At nearly 6, we moved back (to an acre just outside town) so I could go to school and my dad was closer to his job, then I went off to college 12 years later ...

Z-man helping

 Over the intervening 54 years, I've been in different spaces from one -7 years, and in my little house the last 19! Now, my daughter and son in law are building me a Grannie Flat in their back yard (!!)

So after nearly 2 decades,  I'm engaged in downsizing and purging for that move, which will be in stages!

During construction, I'll be mere yards away, in a back nook in their home! Able to watch over and bless the process at every stage! Deciding what to take with for that 3-6 months, what can go into short term storage! 

I've ordered my new mattress, but for the nonce, I'll borrow one of the kids bed, that fits in the space. 

My new room

Note to self: Wash the walls with a bit of salt and citrus Essential Oil in the walls to clear predecessor Chi.

Meanwhile, there's much accumulation of - stuff!! My daughter and her first 2 girls lived with me 17 years ago - and left some things in my garage (we've sorted that). 

That nest egg included things from my mom (who died the previous winter) and dad,  who's now been gone 30 years. And of course many things from my own 72 years circling the sun.

Having their help has been huge! 

I asked a new neighbor if he was intersted in buying my house - and his brother is! A realtor friend is overseeing the sale, and I have a week and 1/2 left to finish up! 

I've been sweeping the front porch and spritzing the door with cinnamon (thanks to tips from Amanda Gibby Peters) and have a virtual consultation scheduled later in the month with my BD twin Gwynne, who is a Feng Shui practioner! 

Partway through many of my moves, I often just want a backhoe at the end - and sometimes just brought junk along! On the weekend I thanked Mary and Matt for "being my backhoe BEFORE the very end!" 

Construction beginning

The stuff! The books! The plants!! 

We began moving the plants first - I had kept many in pots, and dug up others  .... I somehow found time to garden (rather than being going through stuff!) this summer ... and my grandson Z and I put in a little bed on their back garden, which he helps check and tend!

The footprint 

I've been listening to lots of podcasts and watching decluttering videos, and realize I'm 'motivational challenged and have problems wroth executive function - my dad would say, "Penny wise, pound foolish!" I can focus for hours on non-essentials!! But often delay important tasks. Procrastination often goes with this challenge getting motivated! And sticking to one task (they are a subset of ADHD!)

One clutter clearing champ, Cass, invites us to learn to "eat the Frog First!" Do that hard thing you don't want to do, 'cause you know you'll never want to!!

I'm assisting in a virtual creative class (scheduled months ago!) Last week we created glyphs / sigals - I used the non-repeating letters from 'Eat the Frog First' in creating this one - 

Eat The Frog First 

So - I'm eating the frog 🐸  and find its getting easier with practice. 

Some tips on dealing with the stuff - whether you're simply dethugging (and we all need to at times - tidy people have less stuff - who knew??) - or preparing for a move! 

✔ have trash bags/ bins in every room, plus recycling, shredding, and areas for donations. 

✔ thank / bless the items as you bundle them up 

✔ it can help to start with things you're less attached to - and handle quickly! 

✔ Our brains release bonding hormones when stimulated by touch - have a friend hold up/ point to/ ask you about things! A good phrase is, 'it looks tired' ... another,  'close your eyes and think of the house you want to live in - does this fit?' 

✔ Choose what you want to keep and work on boxing those, let a helper bag/ box up donations (that helps keep me from rebonding!) If they want it, it's theirs!! Since we're dealing with family things, we have a box set aside for my son, and my daughter reclaims special items.  

Books for Matt to box

✔ Engage a friend or your kids to witness /go with you for the first donation drop!
✔ get yourself some flowers 💐 and/or favorite coffee ☕ on the way home! 

✔ If you can, have someone else handle some of the drop offs! Have a clear staging station, and just let them do it - go along occasionally if you want - up to you! The less disposal I'm copingwith, the easier sorting becomes 

In the past, those bags🎒 🛍 rumbled around in my car for months ... it's such a blessing to just set them on the porch for them to load up! 

✔ Selling? If you're good at it and have time .... or there's a garage sale you can tag into .... Matt is listing a few things on marketplace, and deals with those, I sold one of my old massage tables (don't judge!) to a friend who's taken Reiki from me.

When you need to do a donation run, set yourself up for success ✔ Have a system for when and how you'll bookend it with other errands, and where in your car you'll put them. 
✔ include a treat once a week - fresh flowers are great! Amanda Gibby Peters of Simple Shui has some great stories about it being a quick way to freshen Chi! Find her Simple Shui tips on Instagram.

✔ be good to you! Stay hydrated!! Have glasses of water, maybe with a bit of lemon and cucumber, stashed around. Schedule breaks - go on a little walk, sit down, take a bath or shower at the end of the day.
You've got this!! 💕 💐