Summary

The website content discusses the emotional and practical process of downsizing personal possessions and intangible aspects of life to facilitate growth and embrace change.

Abstract

The author reflects on the challenges and liberation that come with downsizing. Through multiple moves, including a divorce that necessitated living in a smaller space, the author recounts the painful experience of discarding physical items, such as a failed business's inventory and cherished woodworking tools. The narrative extends beyond the physical, touching on the importance of letting go of non-tangible burdens like political animosity, excessive news consumption, the need for approval, and the limitations of aging. The author emphasizes the ongoing nature of downsizing, viewing it as an essential part of personal growth and the pursuit of a more meaningful life. The process is likened to maturing from childhood, where one sheds immature ways of thinking and being.

Opinions

The author acknowledges the emotional toll of discarding possessions that represent past dreams and identities.
Despite the difficulty, the author sees the value in living with less, appreciating the functionality and contentment that comes from a simplified lifestyle.
There is a strong opinion against the negativity associated with politics and the news, advocating for a more selective and peaceful engagement with such content.
The author believes in the importance of letting go of the need to be liked, viewing it as unnecessary baggage from the past.
Aging is presented not just as a physical decline but as an opportunity to reassess and engage with new, fulfilling activities.
The author admits to the ongoing struggle with ego but recognizes progress in managing it.
Downsizing is seen as a continuous journey, integral to personal development and the ability to embrace new experiences.
The author quotes a biblical verse to underscore the idea that maturity involves putting away childish things, suggesting a spiritual or moral dimension to the process of downsizing.

Downsizing — Tossing What You Don’t Need — Can Be Painful.

Growth requires letting go of the old to make way for the new.

Letting go of physical stuff

As old as I am and have moved more than I care to count, downsizing opportunities have arisen.

I do not know how it happened, but at one time, I had rooms in my house that we never used. I guess I got caught up in the bigger is better mindset.

Divorce sent me to live in a small apartment. Things had to go.

At the time, I was an entrepreneur selling picture bases with encouraging phrases. The project was a couple of years old and had matured to the point where there was several hundred dollars worth of inventory — all of which had to go.

I remember taking all the products to the dump. I remember unloading and tossing boxes onto the piles of accumulated trash. It was more than the product I lost. It was a dream and a plan is literally thrown in the dump.

Another time there was a garage sale. Again a move necessitated a shedding of stuff. This time it was all my woodworking tools. That was a hard one. I loved working with wood. And no room is no room.

A third time — we moved from Colorado to Michigan, and the moving van would hold only so much. I left my grill behind. I loved that grill.

My wife and I live in a space that is just perfect for us. It has everything we need and little room for anything else. We have downsized to the point of functionality, and we love it. We joke that we cannot buy something unless we know where we are going to put it. Something comes in; something has to go out.

Letting go of non-physical stuff

That does not mean I stop downsizing. There are still plenty of opportunities, just not on a physical level.

Political stuff- all trash. The hate and the venom need to go. I do not need those in my life.

The news is too painful to obsess over. I am better off keeping up for 10 minutes on an app than watching the news.

Obsessing over being liked is such old baggage. I have been carrying some of this for over 65 years. It is time to let it go.

Aging has its own set of letting go. Things that used to be easy are now out of the question. That is OK. There are plenty of things -new things to keep me busy.

Ego continues to crop up from time to time. Every time it does, I know I am moving away from where I want to go. Yes, Mr. Ego still shows up, but his visits are less frequent and intense, so I think I am making progress.

And I know I have a long way to go.

I will always be downsizing. And that is a good thing.

Growth means letting go of anything that doesn’t fit to make way for the new.

And I do so want to grow!

When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

1 Corinthians 13:11

This story can also be found as part of the Lesson Series on abundanteverydayjoy.com