A dear friend of mine had a lovely home that I looked at with awe every time I visited.

It was always cleaned within an inch of its life. It was decorated beautifully, with seasonal touches coming and going.

I felt a little less than after visiting. I don’t have a lot of decorations – my husband abhors “dust catchers”. I loved all her personal touches. You could see her love for different places and memories.

This morning, a mutual friend sent me the listing for the contents of the house on an auction site.

My dear friend passed away cruelly to ALS, and her husband recently followed.

As I looked through the auction house pictures, it made me sad.

Everything looked so beautiful still…but no one was home.

I’m sure family members selected items that were sentimental to them.

Yet, there was so, so much more left behind.

None of it will ever mean as much to anyone as it did for my friend. I am glad she found joy in collecting these things.

It has made me look long and hard at my own home.

As I get older, I am giving more things away.

Instead of buying, I am reducing.

Combing through my closet and paring it down. And again

When I go to the store or see something I like online, I’ll consider it. Hold it. Put it in the basket. Nine times out of ten, I won’t buy it.

I’m framing photos, which bring me joy at each glance.

We will buy a piece of art from somewhere we travel to.

I started a slow journey to de-clutter.

Now it will be a steady minimization of what I’ve accumulated.

I don’t want to fund another storage facility. I don’t want a full attic.

Goodbye again, dear friend. I’ll look at our pictures and remember the good times.