NEXT AVENUE - SPECIAL SECTION
The Perils of Downsizing
By Jill Smolowe
A Guide to Dealing with Your Stuff
When my husband Bob and I decided to downsize from a three-story house to a three-bedroom condo, there was the inevitable deciding what would go, what would stay, what would be given away, what would be discarded.
Give away? Donate? Throw away? Save?
As we made our decisions, it became clear to me that what I found most painful to part with was my vast library of hundreds, probably thousands, of books.
In conjunction with Fast- Forward , Next Avenue has three essential guides to planning for the future, including one on dealing with life’s stuff. We offer best practices for making decisions about both the wanted and unwanted items we all accumulate over a lifetime. Visit nextavenue.org/ fast-forward
The downsizing task demanded that I reduce my library from 47 shelves (scattered in bookcases and hanging shelves over three floors) to seven shelves, all to be contained in a single bookcase in my new office.
Now in my new condo since May, I still ache when I think of all the books I ejected from my life. The absence of the presence of those books weighs heavy.
That feeling of loss has been exacerbated by the new world of Zoom. I know, you're supposed to look at the person who's talking, not the backdrop. But if there are bookshelves in the frame, that's where my gaze goes.
With longing, I gaze at the lonely single cases. The coupled double cases. The majestic ceiling-high cases. The thin cases efficiently recessed into walls.
I am not, by nature, the envious sort. But this unasked-for entry into people's homes has stirred something raw in me. When I'm on Zoom, all I can see are all those shelves with their rows upon rows of — sigh — books.
Read the full story, The Perils of Downsizing at NextAvenue.org.
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