Starting to clean out the basement - Footlocker

Footlocker


I started going through stuff in the basement this week.  I have a footlocker that my wife used to keep memories – baby things, yearbooks, pictures not in albums.  And I am looking to see what I can live without.  This is all part of downsizing.  I tell myself that I would like to reduce the number of physical possessions that I have to fit into my Prius.  The Prius can actually hold a lot of stuff, but I’m not sure if I will meet my goal or if it is feasible.

Now, of course, I’m not saying that this is the best life for everyone.  Most people have deep roots and they are planted in a place with family and community relationships.  They are raising kids or have other family responsibilities.  They have a job or a social life that requires a certain amount of stuff.  This is all fine and good – great.  Stuff is needed.

In my situation, being widowed with my children grown and independent, I have less need of things.  The fact that I don’t plan to be a stay at home grandfather anytime soon also helps to reduce the number of things I need.  This reducing stuff, reducing ties to physical stuff, is part of my desire to be happy.  It is certainly nice to have nice things, but taken to an extreme we can be owned by the things we own. 

So it comes down to making decisions about things like pictures, yearbooks, bronzed baby shoes, and countless other things.  I’m in the process of scanning childhood and family pictures so I can keep the image, but electronically and hopefully eventually better organized.  I think I will scan the relevant pictures in my yearbooks and possibly donate them to a site that scans them or something.  It is hard, but a decision needs to be made for each possession.

Legal Clearance


Still waiting on legal clearance.  L

Well – I’m being called into work so I will have to wrap this up for now and turn in my two weeks notice sometime soon.

Love always,

John

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