The Joys of Downsizing

Every time I go to our shed and sort out our stored items only to purge ten boxes, I feel lighter.

Don’t get me wrong, I anticipate that bi-annual event with absolute dread, and I hate—HATE

the middle stage, the one that has all of our shed items arrayed on tarps in front of the shed. I

regret every choice that led me to that moment in the moment. The clutter. The obvious signs

that we don’t know when to stop buying stuff. The sheer amount of camping gear.

Side story. Many years ago, my son and husband were out with the Boy Scouts for a spring

campout (or maybe fall?) at a state park about 30 minutes away, and the weather turned much colder than expected. My husband called and asked that I go into the shed and bring all the excess gear we’d been storing. Since I’d been out to dinner with a friend whose son and husband were also camping out, she and I tromped out to the shed, where I promptly started pulling sleeping bag after sleeping bag, camping mattresses, winter bivvy sacks, etc. to take to the shivering scouts. We filled the back of my minivan and drove out. Every scout who wanted another piece of gear got something to keep warm overnight. Although it was great to see the equipment we had used and to be helpful to the troop, it was also a smidge embarrassing to have so many items stored away.

Back to the original thread. So, there I was, with all my earthly belongings (that had been in storage) out on the back lawn. Regretting starting this project, now that it looks so much worse. But then……. It always feels like magic. As things go back in (and yes, too many sleeping bags are retained, not worth my marriage to fight it) and items get culled to either throw away or donate, the organization of the shed starts to become obvious. And it just feels good. I have what I need (plus some, to maintain marital bliss), everything is in its place, and the excess that

still has value is ready to be picked up by our favorite charity.

Downsizing provides the same experience—but better, because it’s guilt-free. The kids’ mementos they’ve studiously avoided taking to their own homes for years? Well, alas, you don’t have room to take everything with you, so it’s really time for them to take their childhood memories or have them tossed. And sometimes they want that favorite stuffed animal you’ve lovingly saved, and sometimes they don’t. But either way, you’re off the hook. And once it’s gone, it’s no longer your problem.

We all have something, whether it’s cookware you bought for a special dish and never used again, or the ubiquitous single-sock collection, each sock waiting patiently in a bag/drawer/shelf for the other sock to magically appear. Some of us might have food in the back of our pantry that will never be eaten or have spices that hit their Best By Date sometime

during the Carter administration (it happens).

And it feels so good to be on the other side of the sorting and disposal. Downsizing is a chance to clear our surroundings of all those things we no longer use or want, without shame or guilt.

Beloved stuffed animals ready to go to their original owners

Old spices hiding in the cabinet, ready to be downsized