I don’t want to be morbid, but the reality is that someone’s going to have to go through all of my stuff one day – yours too – and I’ve been thinking about what I’m leaving behind.
My Dad didn’t leave any big surprises or life-changing discoveries, although I do wonder about the origin of this sign we found in his things.
There must be a story that goes with it but I never heard it. Perhaps it was an inside joke about something that happened at work. Who knows?
I’ve never minded sorting through stuff. In fact, I’ve offered to help others with the task because it can be overwhelming. But I also realize that not everyone is like me, and so I’m determined to try to travel lightly from now on. I’m going to divest myself of a bunch of things that really don’t matter to me. I’m an anti-clutter nut, it’s true, but I also have my share of plastic bins packed away. I’ve shoved old letters from forgotten beaus into shoe boxes and I wouldn’t want someone to find them without me being here to say they mean nothing to me. I don’t want the remnants of my life to tell a story that wasn’t true. There should be no misunderstandings. And if a frog attacks, I’m darn sure going to let someone know.
I’ve been divesting myself of unneeded assets and things over the past six years or so, partially motivated by the desire to clear out those items which had been sitting around for 3 decades since the loss of my sight and the other in preparation for the drafting of my Will and Powers of Attorney. The Will and Powers of Attorney are all signed and I’ve also provided supplemental documents detailing contacts and what and where things can be found.
I can’t ease the pain, but I can do my best not to add to it after I’m gone.
Morbid or not, it’s practical and VERY considerate to think of those who will come after. For you and me there are no kids among whom the “spoils” will be divided, so then what? When I see a trinket that catches my eye, I am reluctant to buy it any more. Although I could keep going for another 30 years (not likely) I wonder why on earth would I want to have to dust/give away that thing in a few years? This being the only creatures sentient about our mortality (supposedly) is heavy stuff. Dust in the wind, and all that.