Tidying up

Before a woman has a baby, she is supposed to go through a nesting phase.  She wants to get her home ready before that bundle of joy that eventually becomes a thankless, self-absorbed teenager arrives.  She wants to be able to welcome her baby with a nest feathered with lots of cool “stuff”.

I can’t say I went through the nesting thing with either one of my kids, but I certainly was into acquiring stuff for my home.  For years and years.  And years.  And years. The downside of living in the same house (with a full basement) for most of my adult life.

But five major moves in the last twelve years forced me to get rid of a lot of the accumulated things.  Unfortunately, I think I replaced 70% of it over the past three years we’ve been in our present home.

*sigh*

But I think AGMA’s at the age now where it’s time to seriously think of “tidying” things up.  You know, get ready for the time when I’ll be sharing a room in a nursing home with somebody named Susan from Milwaukee with dementia who, along with me, can’t control her bladder function.  The time when I’ll have to fit all of my earthy possessions in a chest of drawers and a bedside table.

Okay – maybe I’m jumping the gun a bit.  And getting overly dramatic.  AGMA’s can get that way from time to time.

But you get the gist.  It’s time to start major decluttering and become a minimalist in terms of stuff.

Maybe we should consider buying one of those 300 square foot tiny houses that are all the rage now.  Or several of them.  One to live in and the rest to store all of our stuff. Or is that against the spirit of the tiny house movement?

Probably.

As difficult as he was to get along with, I’m very thankful that my father down-sized from his large three bedroom with a full basement and large yard home to a two room apartment in a retirement community some eight years before he died in 2000 . Even so, I still felt overwhelmed going through his possessions from his small apartment and 8X8 storage space.

I shudder to think of what my kids would have to deal with if my husband and I went over the rainbow anytime soon.  It would literally take them years…  Or not.

I have sons. Those of you with only sons will understand.

So I’m thinking of starting to give stuff away.  I mentioned to my husband the idea of getting rid of the china and crystal we got as wedding gifts and have hardly used.  He was not thrilled with the idea.  Evidently he’s formed some sort of a mystic bond with it over the past 38 years.

I know my DIL would like some of my nicer serving pieces.  She’s told me so.  Guess she wants to stake her claim early.  But…

The whole specter of divorce really makes me hesitate in giving any of it to my DIL.   Not that I think their marriage is in danger at all right now, but you know how   turbulent the 40’s & 50‘s are on a marriage.

Good God, what would happen to my Evesham serving dishes then?

I read an article about the Baby Boomers trying to give their stuff to their kids and the kids not wanting it.  Most don’t have the space or the desire for their parents stuff. What their parents see as family heirlooms, they see as hand me down, out of date junk.

Obviously except for AGMA’s Evesham pieces.

What an aspiring minimalist Baby Boomer to do?

I know, I know – this is definitely a First World problem.

Actually, I think tiding up is not such a bad problem to have…  Other than it signals AGMA’s entry into the Winter season of life.  But then again, making it to this Winter season isn’t such a bad thing either.  I know too many people who didn’t make it past late Summer and Fall.  I’m very happy to plan my Winter.

Plus, we live in the age of Craigslist, Ebay and Facebook Garage Sale pages where one Boomer’s junk is another Millennial’s treasure.  I’ll find some suckers…eh…lucky individuals to take some of these potential Antiques Road Show gems off my hands.

So if anybody out there would be interested in a lifetime accumulation of AGMA stuff, before I offer it to the general public, just let me know.  I’ve got some great junk…eh…heirlooms at a really good price.  Plus I can offer a payment plan with flexible terms.

And for only $10 more per item, I will not only autograph each piece personally but will provide a certificate of AGMA authenticity.

To mis-quote Vito Corleone, “I’ll make you an offer you can’t refuse.”