Are You Ready To Die?

Kind of a bleak title I know but the point is - are you?

Once again in the crazy little world that is my life, we are about to lose another beloved family member.   This time though, he made all his plans and organized his estate well in advance, knowing that this day would come.

When my birth father learned of his Parkinson's diagnosis, and that he was in the early stages of Lewy Body Dementia he made sure to take care of his "business" right away.

He updated his will, assigned his executor (and a backup), ensured that he had his Power of Attorney taken care of.  He even took the time to have developed a Trust to take care of his Estate.   He does not leave behind a fortune but he was very smart with what he had and made sure to protect his hard earned blue collar dollars.

Shortly after diagnosis, he took the entire family away to Lake Nipissing  for one last family vacation.  All his grand children were there and we have great memories of that week away in the glory of Northern Ontario.  We had a chance to celebrate his life while was still well and to celebrate the life of our family.  Dad ensured that he had a final chance to fish and boat with his grand kids and create lasting memories that will hold them for a lifetime.

My Dad even made sure we were all very aware of what his last wishes were for a funeral and whether or not to bury or cremate.  While this my seem incredibly morbid to some, in our family, it is just a fact-of-life discussion. Without a doubt it was painful to listen to, but at the same time, it is  a discussion that needs to be had.

Today, with all the sadness we are feeling as a family, there is also an immense gratitude that we do not have to; guess at what his wishes were, that we do not have to feel regret for time not spent together, and that the stress of the closing out his estate and belongings will ultimately be,  as stress-free as he could possibly make for his children.

So, are you ready?

N is for Normal: Is all this Clutter Normal?

N is for Normal, Necessary, Needed, Numerous, Never-Ending....you get the  point!

Organizing really comes down to a few basic principles and one of them is whether or not the items we have in our homes, on our desks, on our computers or in our offices  are Necessary.   

While items of beauty are Needed to enhance our homes and bring us joy, sometimes the things we collect become too Numerous and we Need to find the power to say “No More” when considering adding to our collections.

Is it Needed, is it Necessary, are the questions we should ask ourselves on our organizing adventures and if the answer to both questions is yes – then where do they belong?   

The space in our home is finite and on occasion some of our belonging seems to be infinite.   When our belonging become too Numerous for the allotted space, it is time to pare them down to fit the allowable space.   

• Too many jeans for the drawer? Get rid of the least loved.  
• Too many purses for the shelf?  Look them over and start by getting rid of your least favourite, your least used, until you have enough space.

One of my favourite clients often asks me “is this Normal”?  There is really no real answer to that question - Normal is different for everyone.   What some consider normal others consider abnormal.   A more compelling question could be “how does this mess, this closet, this bins of photographs or this dining room table we can no longer eat at, make me feel?”   

If it does not make us or a member of our household feel comfortable, then it is time to make a NOW Change.  A  Now Change is one that needs to happen before it causes strife in our homes.  What Now Change can you make today to  home and your life more comfortable?


I have no idea why I have struggled so much with this particular blog entry but finally, here you go!  I want to thank my colleagues at POC for their assistance in coming up with some Organizing related “N” words.