Purging

I am in the PURGING ERA of my life. It is apparently a cosmic event. Several happenings have aligned or maybe collided in my universe. And surprisingly I have found it to be very relieving. All the things I have felt obligated to save are being re-examined. The furniture, clothes, personal effects of deceased relatives has cluttered my life for several years. My own personal life clutter (toys from my babyhood for example that no longer work, feel good or look good!)is a part of this. And then those mementos of my children's early lives (a box of corasages, now crushed, faded, long forgotten,checkbooks,ticket stubs, etc). So while all of this "stuff" continued to accumulate, the cosmic events unfolded.
I had watched several episodes of a TV show on HGTV called "Clean House" and often heard the host say to people who needed help organizing/cleaning their homes and who were having a hard time ridding themselves of something that had belonged to a dead relative - "This table (substitute chair, picture, coat,etc) is not your grandmother. She's gone and she can't hate you for letting go of this THING! You have her memory. I now, often use those words when I am looking at something and trying to decide on whether to keep it or let it go.
Secondly, I have had to help my husband in dealing with the estate of his mom who lived a very long life and was a collector of many things. As he went through the items she had stored and I saw sadly how much clutter she had left him to deal with, I swore I would not do this to my children. So I began to take a serious look at what I had.
The third event involves the temporary addition to our home of a daughter, grandchild and soon to be new baby, while our son-in-law must work elsewhere and come home when able. This has required a lot of shifting of THINGS to enable them to have some personal room and privacy.
And finally, my husband do have this plan to live between home and a boat (more about that soon). So downsizing is most needed. I have become obessed, I think. I was given a Kindle for Christmas, which I never thought I would like. I have now given myself permission to get rid of the many, many books I have read once, then sat on a shelf to admire (did this satisfy a need to make me look smart to others??)Books are only old friends if you visit them once in a while. I tell myself now to share them with someone who will visit them by holding them and reading.
I have visited several websites about organizing,de-cluttering, simplifying one's life. There is a lot of info out there. Apparently many baby-boomers have over-collected and are in the same situation as me.
I do feel lighter in a way now. I'm not finished. I couldn't yet move into a smaller house if needed. But I'm working on it.