For those of us between the ages of the empty nest and death, we are faced with the dilemma of “Downsizing”.

Let’s be clear, downsizing and decluttering are two very different things.  Decluttering feels good, like detoxing your liver type of good.   But, downsizing your home deserves some serious thought.

Once your nest has emptied it seems downsizing is the next step.  There is so much talk about it – it is like a right of passage.

Every person has their own vision for the “rest of their life” home.

Some people desire to wake up to the aroma of caffeine brewing at the local coffee shop where they can meet up with good friends each morning.

Others have their travel agent on speed dial, living for that next exotic vacation.

And some feel they are simply one Xanax away from finding a home filled with happiness.

It’s all good.

It just wasn’t us.

Seriously, we thought about it.  After about 3.2 seconds we knew downsizing just wasn’t for us.

Here is how we see it…

From the time our kiddos made their great escape to college, they would come home periodically and when they did, they were never alone…

they would come home in multiples.

Then when they followed their dreams of living in lands far far away they continued the occasional visit home.

 They were soon pulling in the drive with significant others.

Then to our delight, they came bursting through the front door with kids of their own.

So our family was not getting smaller,

it was growing!

We blinked and our family of four became a family of ten!

Plus…  all the while our kids were growing our family,

 our circle of friends was growing.

Life just keeps getting better!

Our family grew, our circle of friends continues to grow.

We have a multitude of hobbies and interests, some of those we still need to pursue!

We weren’t ready to abandon our hobbies and interests for lack of space – not yet!

Where would we work on that next project?

What about my pottery?

Throwing pots in a condo could get messy.

Our growing family would need a place to sleep & eat when they visit.

We needed a kitchen big enough for a couple of wannabe chefs to prepare meals for two or twenty-two.

Not to mention the sheep and chickens, and those cattle we will one day own.

Had we downsized we wouldn’t have space for family or friends or hobbies – all of which bring an abundance of joy to our days.

If we denied ourselves the space to live the life we wanted – we would be giving up on our dream to build more memories.

Obviously, everyone is different.  But for us, happy aging did not mean a smaller home.

My downsizing will be a pine box.

Until then I plan to live a happy and healthy life.

Whatever your personal vision may be, when you are faced with this decision I hope you will give it some careful consideration.

Hopefully, this post has given you some things to ponder before making the choice to downsize your home.

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