The Giveaway Era

We’ve spent a lifetime accumulating stuff. Here we are in the autumn of our lives, wondering what to do with all these priceless treasures.

When life feels out of control, I turn inward to my soul and to my home. I begin to purge. That’s been my coping mechanism for years. If I can’t control what’s happening out there, I can control what’s inside my walls. I am in purge mode. I haven’t quite hit the 40 bags in the 40-day mode, but I’m getting there.

Earlier this year, I cleaned out my serving piece cabinet. I was never going to entertain 50 people again. I invited my nieces to choose what they wanted. Then I let friends pick. Now these items are being used and not hidden away.

When was the Last Time You Used Your Wedding China?

If you had to pause and count backward in years, you’re not alone. I couldn’t remember either. This year, it’s going out the door gratefully and without guilt to someone who will actually use it.

I don’t have children, but I do have kind, capable nieces who’ve agreed to help me as I age. The last thing I want is to leave them a cluttered house with no instructions. So I’ve entered what I call my Giveaway Era, letting go now while I can still choose what happens to the things I love.

Why It Gets Harder As We Age

Letting go becomes harder as we get older. The sentimental ties deepen. The decisions get cloudier. The house fills up.

That’s why the best time to start is now, while we still have the energy, humor, and clarity to ask, “Why do I have 12 serving trays?”

One niece asked if I was really ready to part with a cherished piece. I told her yes. I knew where it would be if I ever needed it.  I’ll feel joy oy seeing her use it in her life.

My One Simple Rule

If I were downsizing, would I take it? If not, it goes. Art supplies I’ll never use again? Donated to an art teacher. Business clothes? Dress for Success. Heavy clothes? To a homeless shelter. Not perfect, but enough to feel lighter.

This Year’s Holiday Mission

I haven’t put up a tree in several years. I’m passing my tree on to a great niece.  And if I’m not decorating, why keep bins of ornaments?

I’m inviting my nieces and great-nieces to choose what they love: ornaments, garland, serving pieces —the objects of a life well lived.

A Painting Finds a New Home

Last week I  wrapped the largest painting I’d ever done in a black garbage bag, tied a ribbon around it, and took it to my great-niece’s wedding shower. That painting represented a breakthrough in new techniques and a scale I hadn’t attempted before. She’d admired it for years. Once, she even said she wanted it. I asked myself: Why not now? Why wait?

When she opened it, her face shifted from surprise to pure joy. The painting was hers.

Now there’s a huge blank wall in my bedroom. But instead of feeling like loss, it feels like permission. Permission to paint something new. Permission to let my work live in the world, not just on my walls. Permission to witness someone I love enjoying it every single day.

Let the Joy Out of the Box

If your things are starting to suffocate you, it’s time to pass them forward. Let the people you love take what they’ll treasure. Tell the stories behind each piece.

My goal? A peaceful exit. Clean closets. Fewer things. A home my nieces won’t dread walking into. And blank walls that whisper: there’s still time to paint something new.

Your legacy isn’t in what you leave behind. It’s in the love, lightness, and freedom you pass forward, one gift, one bag, one choice at a time.

Let me know what you’re ready to part with and you’re plan for giving things away.