We've Moved

But are we organized?  We unpacked, hung a few pictures, continued to give away “stuff” that couldn’t fit in the space and now we are reorganizing.  Take heed, if you are planning a move, add several months to the timetable to reach that sense of “moved in”. 

Of course, during the process, life continues:  laundry, grocery shopping, pre scheduled appointments, cooking, etc.

Lessons learned:  complete post office change of address forms 6-8 weeks in advance of the move; contact credit card companies, insurance companies (health/car/homeowners/renters/life), family members, doctors, financial services, mail service pharmacy, shopping sites that have your address preprogrammed in their system, charities you may want to receive mail from, and any other contacts from whom you receive mail.  Go to AAA or go online for a change in driver’s license and owner’s card.  To easily donate clothing or small household items, keep a few large bags or small boxes in which to put things that you thought you could use and now realize you can’t.

And after the move is completed and the organizing/reorganizing is done, sit back and celebrate.  You are entering a new phase of your life.  Focus on the positives, the negatives will always be there.

And think about the following: Does my will need to be changed?  Do I have a secure place for my important papers and do the important people know the location? 

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Swimming with the Sharks

I’m currently reading The Rainbow Comes and Goes by Anderson Cooper and Gloria Vanderbilt.  It’s conversations between the news reporter, Anderson Cooper, and his mother, Gloria Vanderbilt who is an actress, artist and fashion designer.  One statement popped out for me.  Anderson is writing about his work ethic and his desire for adventure.  He talks about sharks and their need to almost continuously move forward in order to breathe.  He imagines himself “a shark gliding through dark, silent seas.”

Why did this resonate with me?  Maybe because I consider myself a forward thinker, a person who is constantly looking for what lies ahead.  In dragonboating (google the word if it is unfamiliar to you), we are coached to look to the finish line when we practice so it is automatic when we race.  Most life coaches talk about goal setting to help their clients make behavioral changes.  When we stand still for long periods, we are not working toward our goals. 

Yes, we need quiet time to assess, to plan and to evaluate.  But not too long...action is part of the planning.

Organizing, decluttering, cleaning the nooks and crannies of a room, purging clothes and food that is outdated and reassessing the important stuff:  will, healthcare and financial powers of attorney, are all necessary to move forward.    Confession- I found some serious dust bunnies in a corner of a seldom used room during spring cleaning. 

What are you cleaning, organizing?  What can you give away?  Share….

Swedish Death Cleaning

Maybe because I’m tired of the snow and cold, I’m thinking about spring and the inevitable Spring Cleaning.  Or maybe because I’m seeing “Spring Cleaning” tips on magazine covers and on Facebook, I’m thinking about it.  I’m thinking so hard that I decided to postpone my scheduled cleaning activity so I can write this blog!!  That’s called procrastination.

In reality, I saw a post on the NextAvenue.org blog and an article in the AARP magazine on Swedish Death Cleaning.  Döstädning is the Swedish word for Death Cleaning or decluttering your living space while you are still alive. 

One of the more original thoughts in the articles was to get rid of diaries, journals and the like if they contain information that might cause loved ones to be hurt by the words.   And in today’s society, at least in the US, younger people do not want the family heirlooms- grandma’s silverware, Uncle Joe’s collection of cigar bands, records or tapes but no machine to play them on, and so on.  Serious death cleaning involves getting rid of clothing, furniture, keepsakes that one doesn’t need to live out the years s/he has left. 

To tie this all together, I am washing windows and floors, shredding old papers, cleaning cabinets especially in the kitchen and going through clothing.   I will get exercise from the cleaning, and I will toss out dated food.  Charities will get the clothes that no longer “bring me joy”.  I will be lighter.   My mind will be open to new ideas as I clear out the old ideas.  It’s all good!  I’m not labeling this as “Death Cleaning”, rather it is Spring Cleaning.

Join me this spring in decluttering.  Let me know your methods and techniques.  Love the microfiber cloths!