The other day I woke up to a monsoon type rain and the smell and feel of fall hit me full in the face.
There is always that day in August right after my birthday when summer takes a hasty exit and you wake up to a chilly morning with the smell of the leaves changing. It’s a nostalgic mix of decay and harvest as everything is starting to come down and be packed away for fall.
I have seen several posts on facebook where my friends say goodbye to adult children as they pack off for university or for a broader life outside of their childhood home. What a thrilling yet sad time for everyone, much like the program of fall where things change and get packed down and stored. The memories of moving to my first apartment far away from my hometown are still as sweet as they were 30 years ago when I packed and stored things that I would take with me and compacted and left things which wouldn’t fit into my one-bedroom apartment.
There is nothing more challenging and freeing than having to drastically downsize your living requirements whether you are moving or just vacationing.
We can live with so much less than we think we need and it is a valuable exercise to try and compact your life from time to time; you may be surprised at the number of extraneous items you get rid of!
A friend of mine recently went on a two-week motorcycle trek through the U.S. with her beau and I was curious about how she fared because I have travelled with her and she is a pack horse like I am, we both had suitcases that rivalled anyone in the airport!
When we chatted about her trip she said she was inspired by how care-free the trip was and by how LITTLE she was able to live with over those weeks.
The freedom of having less baggage was a liberating experience for her and she realized that travelling light was very do-able for a girl who used to need a separate suitcase just for hair products.
It can be just routine to pack and over pack and take way more that we think we need either on a trip or in life and that clutter and weight can drag us down on our journey.
When these kids move from their parents’ home to a dorm or an apartment of their own they are forced to take only what they truly need as spaces are tight and the luxury of being strewn out all over is not given anymore. It is a good exercise to see what you can absolutely live and not live without and free yourself of the heavy burden of extra and unnecessary baggage.
As you begin to pack up your summer life, take a extra look at what could be removed, stored away or given to those who could need it.
I have been able to make some much needed extra cash this summer selling unwanted items and I have given myself room to breathe in the process as I process things I have been hanging on to for too long. Travel light everyone, the journey is far more enjoyable with a more manageable load.
Kim Wyse is a local freelance designer. Find her on facebook at ‘Ask a Designer/Ask a Realtor’.
