In my previous blog, the topic of Stuff was directed to seniors moving into retirement living. I’ve addressed the overwhelming task of downsizing and dispersing years of collected “stuff.” This column is dedicated to all the baby boomers. I’m including myself! Our population group will be the largest number of seniors in history. Not only are there lots of us, but we are more affluent and have more disposal income than any population in history. What does that mean? For one thing, we’ll probably collect more stuff! One of these days, we’re going to have to dispose of it. Our parent’s generation derived their values out of the depression, so material possessions were extremely rare and important. The boomer generation exploded with economic prosperity and value bigger, better and more. In addition, we live in a world where everything has become disposable. More than ever before, we’ll have mountains of stuff to deal with.
Are you looking around at a home full of stuff? Is the basement full, attic brimming over, and 3 or 4 bedrooms still arranged as if there were a family of 5 living at home? Do you still have boxes that belong to your kids full of high school memorabilia? What more do I need to say? Now is the time to deal with stuff. I’m not talking about giving away the living room sofa, but how about tackling the attic or basement? We live in denial about growing old. We count the birthday candles, but we live with the illusion of immortality. I’m sure you would agree that there is nothing more pleasurable than the results of a cleanout spree. A healthy trip to Good Will is liberating. Think of the people that are less fortunate that would treasure your trash. Start giving it away as you prepare for the next chapters in your life and be liberated from stuff!