I have been getting rid of stuff in my house and garage for several months--trips to Goodwill and Salvation Army and putting items up on FreeCycle. I have repeatedly done what I could in the garage which like everyone's garage, I suppose, is incredibly daunting. Not only do I have stuff, but I've got many boxes stored that belong to my adult children--and 2 of my late sisters and my long-gone step mom. (Thanks, Kathy, for your help all those years ago you helped me get rid of a lot of Irene's stuff.)
When the yearly question came up this year, "What do you want for your birthday, mom?" I immediately replied, "The best present would be a family clean-the-garage afternoon--and that's exactly what we did today--after we all went to CJ's Pantry for my breakfast birthday. There were six adults and I did the least work. They were champs. Two of my kids went through their boxes and we filled the dumpster for the complex. Then we made piles: (l) For the thrift shop (2) for the trash (3) for the Palos Verdes Book Sale, (4) for the front yard where I sometimes leave items and they mysteriously disappear to a good home, and piles for Tony and Christy to take home to their own garages.
We did not finish, but it's like night and day compared to what it was. Lorenzo, my son-in-law and Tony encouraged me to let go of a lot of stuff I was keeping for sentimental reasons. The stuff in the front yard is already gone and I feel so relieved to have gotten rid of so much stuff.
When you get to a certain age, you know there is a possibility (if not a promise) that eventually my kids are going to have to get rid of all this stuff anyway. I don't think they would be estate sale types, but you never know.
So, thanks to Christy, Lorenzo, Tony, Whitney and Anthony. You gave me the best birthday present ever.
