We are downsizing
I winced as the friendly, strong junk guys maneuvered my husband’s old desk down the brick front steps and tossed it into the truck bed, where it splintered. Even though that desk was never my favorite, I felt a quick pang of regret as it landed with a crunch.
The competent guy in charge had told us that they would recycle what they could. I realized then that our definitions of recycling might vary, but overall I was glad to get these eight or nine pieces of well-used furniture out of our house.
There went the particle board bookcases I bought more than 45 years ago for my first apartment—cheap, because that was all I could afford on my teacher’s salary. Onto the pile went my mother‘s antique vanity dressing table, which had one broken leg for years that we never got around to fixing.
You get the idea. None of the items in the junk pile was worth saving and no one wanted any of them. Even so, I could almost hear a few pieces groan and sigh as they were abandoned.
We are downsizing from a two-story house to a one-level ranch. We will have less stuff, no steps at all, a zero-entry shower and wider door openings to accommodate wheelchairs and other equipment if needed later. We made this decision rather quickly after four or five years of debating various options.
Should we add onto our current house and stay since we love our neighborhood and our location? We got estimates to add a first floor, master—quite costly, of course. Then we realized that it didn’t solve the problem of the steps outside to enter the house.
We also toured one-story homes in various communities south or west of our current preferred close-in location near Raleigh. We were discouraged by the traffic and inadequate infrastructure and roads to accommodate all the growth that occurred here in the last four years.
Then, a few months ago, we had an unexpected opportunity to buy into a new community being built two miles from our house, and we quickly decided to go for it. Our house should be done at the beginning of September.
After 24 years in the same home, it’s a big change, one that’s mostly positive. The preparation leading up to this move seems endless.
I have been packing photos and photo albums (among other things) and realized that I have way more photographs than any family needs. (Yes, I can hear you saying: digitize. And we may end up doing that after the move.) I have given away and sold various pieces of furniture, leaving leftovers to the aforementioned junk guy.
Now we play the game of when to put our home up for sale and hope that we can coordinate the sale of the house with the move into our new house. Lots of emotions accompany this process.
Some sadness in saying goodbye to things we don’t need anymore. Some moments of joy finding snippets of school, papers, Mother’s Day cards, kids, artwork, etc., from our kids’ childhood. Some relief that our daughters won’t have to wade through decades of stuff when we are gone. And hope that we made the right decision.
My husband‘s had serious health issues in the last six years, so we know how difficult having a second floor bedroom is. I’m the primary caregiver for our 13-year-old dog, essentially providing hospice care. I also provide part-time childcare for my granddaughter and, soon, her infant brother. It’s a busy but fulfilling retirement life.
I know we’re making the right choice to downsize now. I’m hoping this move will give us an easier life as we age (no steps!). I just want to survive the process. I’ll keep you posted.
Laura Wilson Small had a 42-year career as an editor (and sometimes writer) for both nonprofit and for-profit organizations. She retired in 2020 after 17 years at RTI International. She was also a high school English teacher for three years. As a retiree, she finally has time to read novels and nonfiction as much as she wants. She recently attended her 50th college reunion at the University of Virginia, where she was a member of the first class of women--the first fully coed class--that graduated in 1974.