Downsizing & What’s Next
Everyone needs to move at their own pace as they retire. Our family home was the place where everyone gathered. When our parents passed, our home also became the repository for those dishes, momentos, photos and furniture that we would save and pass on to the next generation. We saved all the children’s art work, awards, some toys and clothes…in the end, there was a lot stored in that family home.
How to begin…
Many people become overwhelmed at the thought of downsizing…where will I go? What will I do with all that I own? Where will the family gather if its not here as we have always done? What if the children want or need to come home? As I faced many of these considerations, several things became clear…I am in the best shape of my life at this time. Packing, carrying and loading boxes takes time and energy. But I can’t imagine doing this 20 years from now. I also leaned on family who’ve downsized for advice and support. Looking forward, I turned to travel experts who were inspiring our next adventures such as John and Bev Martin, The Retirement Travellers. They put together an excellent video on this process. I also thought…as many do…that the children would want all their childhood awards and treasures. It turned out that they did not. So my mantra became…if they didn’t want it, I would let it go. That applied to family furniture, heirlooms, et. al. I kept what was truly important to me but more on that later…They are likely not coming home again but if they do, I have a guest room and a pull out couch to house everyone for the occasional gathering in our new cozy home.
Downsizing…it all started with the attic. Those items I stored for use again some day. I needed to determine what I wanted to take with me…I kept my mothers hope chest from the 1920’s and put a few treasured items of kids clothing and things I could not part with…I also kept the cradles my father carved for future grandchildren should we be blessed with them. We kept photos and treasured books that the kids grew up reading in front of the fireplace as they wanted them…We kept games to play as a family and the rest we discarded. Then we started in the main house. This was hard. Family members and friends have sold items on FaceBook Marketplace. They did well financially. However, I was a civil service employee who had worked with people who did not have much. We opted to donate what we could not take with us to Savers, The Salvation Army and Goodwill so someone else could use them in their home. The children had first pick of what they wanted to keep and we gave treasures to friends & family. Cleaning out all started with one closet in one room. I then moved room by room culling clothes, sheets & towels, dishes, etc. etc. When I thought I was done, I would go through it again and never failed to find more to give to a new home. The kitchen, the heart of our home, was last. As luck would have it, we were able to celebrate our last Thanksgiving in our family home in 2025….Then we dismantled the kitchen. The art came down and was carefully packed. We threw away what would not be of use to anyone, gave the last bits away and moved in December of 2025.
It is a month later…How do I feel? Lighter….happier…If truth be told, you give away so much that you don’t often remember the items once they are gone…Downsizing was difficult and saying goodbye to the home that we loved was heart wrenching. But if I am being honest? We are moving toward a life together and new travels to worlds we have yet to explore. We balanced the downsizing process by continuing to host events at our home, and we took a life changing trip to Japan in 2025 to attend the World Expo to begin to explore what the world would offer us in this new chapter.
As I sit by the fire in my new home, I know that no one could change my life but me. I knew when I was ready and I am grateful that I did not let the tears shed when I thought of losing my home derail this new adventure. What’s next? Travel planning for our first retirement trip. We are using the tax & mortgage money that we are no longer paying for the house to go to Ireland, England, Germany, Austria and Hungary for eight weeks. We will be posting about those adventures. I hope you join us!
