Generations of Clutter

Hello Everybody!

We had a fabulous lunch event at Atmosphere Commercial Designs last week--welcome everyone to our e-community--we are so happy you’re here!

Julie invited us to present at their Health and Wellness series in their beautiful Middleton offices--WOWZA!

Everyone is SO curious about this very powerful connection between Your Health and Your Home.

It’s eye-opening and sometimes SHOCKING to realize the opportunity you have to transform your health by using Feng shui to shift the energy in your home.

Thank you Julie and Atmosphere Commercial Interiors!

And, in other news, we are on baby-watch for Grandbaby #4, due ANY DAY! Oh, don’t worry, I will send a pic or two when the little darling arrives :) Last week, though, the other three were in town and we had a rare all-of-us-in-the-same-spot moment at the mini golf course, in the yellow barn…such fun! EEEEEEK, can’t wait for the next one!

The last two events and several phone conversations (Hi, Megan!) I’ve had with some of you  have brought up this question: 

What about GENERATIONS OF CLUTTER?

If you are wondering about “inherited” clutter or holding on to things for your own kids, nieces, nephews or grandchildren, I have a few thoughts :) ​

​Items From the Past

So often we feel GUILTED INTO keeping Grandma’s silver, or Uncle Jim’s coin collection or ANY NUMBER of items that get dispersed after someone passes away…
    “Someone should have this...it’s worth a lot of money…”
    “Honey, your Grandpa LOVED this chair, you should take it…”
    “Well, we can’t just ‘Throw IT Away’ it holds a lot of memories…”

I know, at first, it may be a shock and things need to get moved out of a residence rather quickly, so if you can’t do it in the moment--once the dust settles--take a good look at what you consented to keeping.

Take a deep breath...

What were your reasons for keeping things?

Remember, you are NOT a warehouse for family memories NOR are the items themselves the memories! WHOA!!!! Really, Is It True, that YOU should keep it?

Keep what you love, ONLY the items that lift your personal chi and let the rest go with love back out to the universe to enchant someone else.

I promise, that if you had the chance to ask your relative or loved one face to face if they would rather have you hold on to all the “STUFF” and feel burdened and stuck OR if they would rather have you feel light and free--they would say (something like)...

“Of course, darling--the stuff doesn’t matter, our love was never conditional upon you keeping things…let them go and be free, the best way to honor my memory is to live a life full of joy and love, not full of stress about keeping an old tea set or furniture”
If journaling about this might help you, give it a try--call that person to mind--ask and wait for the answer…

​Or, try asking the item (a very fun way to shift your thinking:) “Old Yearbook from the 1920s, what do you want?” Give it a try--I would love to hear your results!!!​

​Holding onto Items For Future Generations

​Well, this one’s easy...The Kids Don’t Want the Old Stuff.

They just don’t.

There might be a piece here and there that feels special or like a small memento, but IF you’re saving stuff from your parents that downsized or passed away thinking that your kids will want it when they get their own place, I can save you a lot of angst...just let it go, (for the most part) they REALLY don’t want it. They want IKEA.

If by chance they say they really DO want something, then offer a reasonable time frame for moving it out of your space. Like this, “Sweetheart, if it’s not gone by the end of 2018, I’ll donate it to charity.”

You’ve got this, I know it’s not easy, but boundaries can be useful in this situation. (Insert Deep Breath HERE)

Your Personal Mementos

And this brings us to the Burning Question...what DO you keep? For Yourself? What goes in that box of mementos to leave behind when you pass away?

Think of it like this…

A treasure box of things that define you, items that create your story, that your family will have a wonderful time opening, reminiscing and thinking of you with love, gems from your life, a few special photos, precious things and a note at the bottom that says, “Pick something that you would love to keep (or not) and donate the rest with love.”

Leaving your loved ones a thoughtfully curated treasure box is VERY DIFFERENT than leaving 2 dozen boxes of papers from the farm business, 50 boxes of random papers and items for them to stress about and go through, or 14 tubs of photo albums.

Think of it this way...cleaning up your own personal mementos is a beautiful gift to your family!

Keep your personal energy at the top of the list and send me a message (just reply to this email), I would love to hear how it goes for you!

If you would like some guidance in this area, ‘cuz, we know this can be tricky (!) send a message and we will get back to you right away!

Lots of Love,
​XOXO

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