Posts tagged The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning
TWO PRACTICAL HINTS ON LETTING GO
TWO PRACTICAL HINTS ON LETTING GO

Just two practical hints from THAT book — that’s all I need” wrote a friend after reading my blog posting: THE GENTLE ART OF SWEDISH DEATH CLEANING.

In her wise and humorous book about letting go of stuff in a way that uplifts and doesn't overwhelm, Margareta Magnusson offers two suggestions that appeal to me.

Begin letting go somewhere other than PHOTOS — or letters and personal papers. In fact, leave the sorting of photos until the end of your downsizing project. Start with the big items in your home (furniture you no longer need) and finish with the small (the personal stuff).

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Catherine BarnsleyThe Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, virtual organizing, Downsizing Seniors, downsizing nostalgic papers
THEY LEFT US EVERYTHING
THEY LEFT US EVERYTHING

They Left Us Everything is a memoir by Canadian Plum Johnson about caring for her senior parents and the 16-month project of sorting and clearing their home. This contemporary story is set in her parents’ rambling 22-room house filled with decades of accumulation and memories. In sharp contrast to The Swedish Art of Death Clearing (my recent blog posting), Johnson finds real value in waiting until after someone’s death to sort their stuff.

How many of us have faced the experience of setting out on an excavation to clear an elderly relative or friend’s home?

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Catherine BarnsleyThey Left Us Everything, The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, Estate Organzing, Downsizing