Rightsizing Your Life

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Rightsizing Your Life: Simplifying Your Surroundings While Keeping What Matters by Ciji Ware is a wonderful book that I read while in the car to and from Kentucky.

I met Ciji in Sausalito last spring, while escaping the troubles of New York and the torture of watching my daughter suffer from chemotherapy and radiation. My world had come tumbling down - again - and I needed a change of scenery. California here I come.

Ciji is a close friend of my girlfriend Bardet, and I met her while we were evacuated from the apartments because the house next door was burning down.

A year later, I am wandering through Barnes and Nobles, another great place I escape to when in times of turmoil (I have a funny story sometime to share about that)when Ciji's book screams at me from the shelf.

I have been talking to Larry about the overabundance of "stuff" that we have in the house. We are both collectors and hoarders, (he more so that I) and it is out of control. I joked that the attic ceiling is going to come crashing down on top of me, killing me in bed. Dying in bed is not the worst way to go, but I did not exactly imagine it to be by books and STUFF.

The book is filled with anecdotal stories, time charts, and methods to get rid of the stuff in your house. Whether you intend to move into a different home which is often smaller as we age, or trying to reconfigure your present home, it offers insight, humor, and methods to part us from our goods.

I have started doing it in little bits. Only the other day, I made a big mistake and accidentally threw Larry's toothbrush in the garbage. I thought it was one of the broken electric brushes, and I hear him late at night asking "honey, have you seen my toothbrush?". Oops I say and have to dig it out of the bathroom garbage. I don't think he was too thrilled.

I'll let you know how long it takes for us to feel like we have a handle on things.
It will be a while, but I have started wrapping my head around this concept and welcome the treasure of a less cluttered house when I am done!

Oh, and tonight's photo was taken at the lake I swim at. Looks like THIS snake did not rightsize his meal, looks like he supersized it to me! This water snake had caught a 10" or so fish, dragged it out of the water, and proceeded to try and swallow it while we were there. It did not get very far for the hour that I watched it, but I suspect that it is a slow process---to swallow that much. Thanks nature for that gift - albeit, a rather gross one.

Patti O Cleaner

Comments

Unknown said…
wow.... where do i find this book? im not too bad about clutter... per se, but Beloved is an avowed pack rat and we have all this Stuff of my grandmother's to figure out what do with... i will definitely look it up! thanks for the recommendation! and thanks for your kind words on my blog this am... by all means.. let's link!!! :)
10:10 AM
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