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I spent several hours yesterday rearranging the double closet in my office. The most needed materials are easy to reach. Long term storage is in the far end. Two shopping bags of reference materials for a trade I no longer practice are thrown out. With a few more hours of weeding I may be able to create a little bit of open space for easier access.
I also removed some furniture to make better access to the closet.
If I become seriously disabled I may have little use for my extensive collection of musical scores.
If I stay active for another 15-20 years, there's good reason to keep them on hand, even though I know I'll never come close to playing all of them.
So I've not made it out of my office yet, in my walking cane study of our home!
Replies to "I spent several hours yesterday rearranging the double closet in my office. The most needed materials..."
@edsutton - Thank you for this - I'm really taking these concerns and the actions you've taken to heart, especially as we are transitioning my mother from "Independent Living" to "Personal Care" this week.
But I do wonder if you could elaborate on one thing I find hard to escape - I have a pared-down (but still comprehensive!) collection of lifetime memorabilia, school notebooks, souvenirs, accomplishments, etc. that I think may fall into some of the kinds of collections you are paring down now.
I feel like 'once these things / items / evidence of a life (mine!)' are gone, they ARE GONE.
Somehow I greatly fear I will not give myself credit for them unless I can see them.
And the funny thing is - at least up until now - it's not like I've gone through them to remind myself of these things, or more specifically, give myself a pat on the back for what I've done and lived (which we all deserve to enjoy and appreciate, each in our own unique way).
Trying to put this into words is harder than I expected, so I wonder if it makes sense here; but if anyone else has similar thoughts/concerns when facing paring down (before it is even more of a burden in a physically compromised later stage of life), I welcome your ideas as well!
After transitioning my mother, I anticipate I will either: be exhausted, and avoid this paring-down task for a bit longer (i.e., procrastinate!), OR I will be energized by the realization of how important a task it is, especially while one is more physically up to the task. Will see!
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One thing I recommend is having a walk-in shower with a bench. We did this years ago. When I became disabled I could no longer use the bathtub. The shower was a lifesaver.