I Am Not a Slob!

Every time I say that to myself, I think of Richard Nixon: “I am not a crook.”  We know how THAT turned out, right?

Well, I really don’t think I’m a slob.  Yes, I’m a single guy.  Yes, I live alone.  Yes, my home is a bit large with plenty of nooks and crannies to stuff junk.  Yes, my office is a total train wreck, but I can close the door if company comes calling.

But I’m not a slob.  Really!

I dust and vacuum on a regular basis.  And 4 – 6 months is pretty regular.  Don’t argue with me!

Oh, and I’m NOT a hoarder.  I’m a collector!

So, what brings up all of this you ask?  Well, I just read about something that I think would definitely be beneficial to me and my family.  Maybe to yours too.

Swedish Death Cleaning.

No, this isn’t the final sponge bath at the Hans Eriksson Funeral Parlor.  It’s a decluttering technique.

You know that set of dishes in the bottom of your coat closet?  The ones that you got as a gift 35 years ago?  Well, Swedish Death Cleaning says that you should get rid of them now.  The idea is that you should deal with your things now while you’re around.  You know what your things are, where they came from and whether they’re worth keeping or not.  Would your children know where those dishes came from?  Would they think they had sentimental value?  Or that they were rare and expensive?  Or that they were a gift from someone who you fondly remember?  Think of the kids’ angst of dealing with them.

Coined by Swedish artist Margareta Magnusson in her 2017 book, The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter, Swedish Death Cleaning is the idea of cleaning out your belongings so others don't have to do it after you die.

And, despite the name, it’s not intended to be morbid.  Death cleaning isn’t the story of death and its slow, ungainly inevitability.  Rather it’s the story of life, your life, the good memories and the bad.  The good ones you keep.  The bad you remove.

The practice is really rooted in minimalism, something that escapes the average American. 

According to Carolyn Rubenstein, PhD, licensed psychologist in Florida, it can be really empowering to realize "I don't have to keep things that don't make me feel good.  I don't need to hold on to that thing because someone gave it to me.  I'm allowed to release those feelings.  I'm allowed to release this item from my life.  I have that ability.”  It brings back that sense of empowerment rather than giving items and objects the power over us.

One study, for example, examined how 60 women described their home environments and found that those who considered their spaces more cluttered had higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol.  They also had consistently worse moods over the course of the day compared to women whose homes were more restorative.  Hmmmmmm, that sure explains a lot…….

So, death cleaning can help us, but it can also eliminate stress and consternation for our children and relatives who have to figure out what to do with all our crap.

And that’s a good present that we each can give our children today.

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The first panacea for a mismanaged nation is inflation of the currency; the second is war.  Both bring a temporary prosperity; both bring a permanent ruin.  But both are the refuge of political and economic opportunists.

- Ernest Hemingway.

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You Know You Are Too Rich When a Lamborghini Isn’t Enough and You Need to Cover It In 2 Million Swarovski Crystals!

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