“Life is not accumulation, it is about contribution.” ~~ Stephen Covey
We stopped by the house to collect our mail and went inside to see how they’d organized our personal items for the estate sale this week. Seeing your life’s acquisitions scattered upon table and floor certain has it’s impact. Besides feeling almost like attending your own wake, there’s the realization those objects are nothing special and could represent anyone’s life.
Yes, those as-sundry items seemed to speak of seeking outwardly in an effort to perhaps address internal needs. It’s like all these years we’ve been buying things for people we’ve never truly known and now they are gone and those familiar items hold little meaning.
Creepy, disturbing, unsettling could describe the feelings — certainly motivation for changing.
I can only image the feeling you experienced walking in. I remember the day I drove away from the house we raised the kids in after the divorce. All my belonging fir in the back of a Ford Ranger pickup. It was a great relief to let go And offered me new opportunities and experiences.
Monte, thanks! Yes it’s been a bit of a roller coaster ride here at the end. It’s only during certain moments we get a glimpse of the contrails of our lives and it’s not always as expected.
“Unsettling” certainly seems to be a good word for the experience. You’re not just beginning a new chapter – it’s a whole new book.
I wouldn’t minimize the “objects” you’re leaving behind, though. Yes, they’re just things, but they were your things. They were a part of your life. Shedding a few tears for these “old friends” wouldn’t be totally out of the question………
Thanks, Paul. Yes, there are certainly some things I’ll miss dearly, a few which are worth a tear or two. I think part of the unsettling element was the sudden realization that much of my life I thought these things were important and now I see them so much differently. Yes, it is a whole new book!
Our maturing years teach us what really has value. It’s not all the consumer items thrown at us continually.
I agree with Paul, shed a tear or two but then keep your eyes looking to what’s next.
Thanks, Steve…we are definitely looking forward and are excited about what’s ahead — sometimes sad things which draw tears are for the best.