Downsizing: What Does It Really Mean
Recently we visited very dear friends who live a couple of hours from us. They have been our friends for forty years starting as neighbors living across the street on Long Island. We see them one or two times a year and we always love to catch up. This visit was different because we were seeing them in their new home in a retirement community. They left a large home on the water and moved to a smaller home in the middle of the state. It is an adjustment for them.
On our way home , my husband and I discussed the idea of downsizing for us and what it really means. Although most of us think of it as getting rid of clutter and discarding items we no longer use, there is also a psychological component to it. When we “downsize”, we are acknowledging that either we can no longer take care of our current lifestyle or we are simply choosing not to do so. I think it is a healthy thing to reassess where you are in life and modify accordingly. For people who have had to move often, this is a no-brainer. They have learned to toss, organize and pack time and time again. There is no chance of mass piles of stuff accumulating because they. just cannot carry those burdens with them from place to place.
We have been in our “new house” for ten years already and it may soon be time to downsize. Technically, I am referring to moving to a smaller place with less bedrooms and yardage, but we are not quite there yet. Both my husband and I love our neighborhood and our neighbors. We also love the convenience to the inter coastal waterway which is such an important part of our lifestyle, boating, fishing and swimming. So maybe what we need to think about is downsizing without moving. It is a different concept, but I like the idea of finding ways to accommodate my changing mobility needs from my Parkinson’s without having to leave our home.
How we do this is still in the thinking process, but we have time. I have not had real balance issues from my Parkinson’s until recently. I am not sure whether this is a change in mobility or just a couple of falls, but it did make me pause and reflect what needs may arise as life goes on. I am open to all and any options that come my way and it does not disturb me to think that we may need to adapt whatever living accommodations we have. I guess the key to staying positive is going with the flow and thinking that some day we may need to resize, upsize or downsize and make it all work no matter what!
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