LIFE STACK GETTING HEAVY? THEN WHAT

I call it the life stack, all the stuff you look at every day, all the crap that just sits there.

You look at it in passing.

It’s not crowding you, not taking space better used for something else, but it carries reminders.

Eventually you sound like someone who said, “I’ve had this hanging on my wall since my first apartment.”

And you thought, at the time, ‘then why haven’t you dumped it yet?’

What to do when it’s you?

My Dad came back from a trip to Alaska that changed his life.

He had a reaction to being up in the snowy north. It reminded him of his time in Korea, which was stressful.

Once he got back home things looked different.

I called him and he talked about the life stack, how things accumulate and get heavier each year.

He carried a different load than most and couldn’t find a way to ease the burden.

From farm kid, to star athlete, to decorated Marine, he was all set for a military career.

Then he got married, had two kids one after the other, and his wife said he needed to change his trajectory.

He went from where people knew his name and whispered about his accomplishments, to being another nobody in college struggling to make his grades while working full-time with a wife and kids.

I followed in his academic footsteps since he didn’t tell me what I told my kids: “Your education will never be easier, or cheaper, than it is right now. If you want to get a degree, do it before you get married, have kids, work, and a mortgage.”

But he did tell me about time and experience loading up year after year making life harder and harder.

Looking back, I think he may have had a small stroke in Alaska.

With that in mind I did something about the ‘overwhelmed’ feeling.

 

Start With A Plan

Rent a U-Haul moving truck and a four meter dumpster.

Then what? Load them up and take that shit away.

It’s harder than it sounds.

If you live in a generational house, whose stuff is it?

Have you checked with them? They might want it.

When you work with hired movers they move things without the questions; work with one of your kids and you get the responsible response.

Maybe you should check-in before chucking?

 

Harden Your Heart And Go, Go, Go

Load up the truck with donations and recycling, load up the dumpster with memories long overdue for removal.

The broken lamp that needs a little work? Flattened.

The rug remnant in case you needed to patch a piece? Gone.

All of the wood saved for fine woodworking? Out.

Keep going. It’s a big dumpster.

If you have a sledgehammer, bring it out to adjust the load.

A hacksaw? Cut stuff to fit.

The main thing is getting the lid to close flat, so pile it in right up to that point then move on.

Take the furniture in the truck to Community Warehouse.

Take the file cabinets to an office products place.

The ones they don’t take there? Go to Far West Metals.

 

Lightening The Life Stack

After you finish with all of the stops, return the truck, and clean up the empty space?

Then what?

Take a victory lap, champ.

You did it. You broke the cycle, broke the chain, broke free of the life stack weighing you down.

Do a little dance, feel a little love, and get down tonight.

Or tomorrow. You’ve done enough for one day.

 

PS: Travel light no matter your age. If you see something in your space that would look better on a Goodwill shelve, send it.

PSS: It’s never too late to lighten up the load. All it takes is the willpower to change.