the origins of the personal ‘purge’

So. I have had a couple of requests on the topic of purging things in order to make a radical living space change. Oh. I also have had requests on how my sister and I weaved our way through the discussion and transition with our mother (that post will come later). 

This post precedes two following posts (Purged Living 1 & 2) which describe the purging my mother and I went thru when I moved out here to support her and she sold the house she lived in for over 20 years and moved into a one bedroom senior living complex. I have already written about the benefits of small space living (my own current situation).

So. Purging.

As I looked back over the years I realized, being the nomad that I am, that I have probably purged more things than even this last massive purge (just in increments).

I have probably bought 4 sets of washers/dryers over the years. Maybe 3 refrigerators (a couple of awesome ones painful to leave behind). At least 2 full dining rooms sets. Uncountable amounts of bookcases. Maybe 3 entertainment centers. I probably cannot even count the number of televisions of different sizes. Bed frames … yikes … double to king to queen to 2 queens to 1 queen and a futon to 2 queens and a futon to … well … geez .. I think there may be a couple other iterations. Pictures, paintings, artwork … framed  … not framed  … should have been framed. Dozens (I have always been a sucker for great visuals and artwork). Sofas, chairs, tables, plates … okay. You get the idea. Moving around a lot sometimes means starting over a lot. And, of course, looking back there is a variety of things that I would probably have been better off keeping around. But anyway.

Suffice it to say over the years and assuming you continue to move up in your career you start having more space to fill up. And that space kinda starts to match where you are in your career (generally speaking the senior accountant living space will look different than the General Manager of an advertising agency living space).

Place that scenario underneath the fact that Purging 1 & 2 is really about the purging that took place within my mother’s transition from her home of 22+ years to a one bedroom space in a senior complex. So that is the background for Purging 1 & 2. Enjoy. There were amusing moments and painful moments but in the end I would suggest the majority of all issues are in your own head (that won’t make it any easier but something to keep in mind).