In thinking about how to downsize, and all the emotional baggage that goes with it, I must remind myself that I've done it before. A few years ago, I went from a large home in Bend to a smaller rental house to a townhouse over a two-year period.
In moving from my dream home in Bend, I had a huge yard sale. I had a collection of vintage clothing and let almost all of it go. One was a college prom dress Mom had made for me. It was floor-length brocade with a matching jacket. A hippie-looking woman asked if she could try it on over her leotard. It fit her perfectly. As she twirled around in my driveway, her face lit up. "I'm going to a wedding in the park. This will be the perfect dress to wear!" she declared. Her reaction created a second happy memory for me around that dress.
A father arrived at the sale with two young children, a boy and girl. He was teaching them how to bargain for the items they wanted. Several years before, I had created a furnished scale model of a condominium for an interior design class. It had been a lot of work, and I'd had it on display ever since. I had priced it at $2.00. I watched as the young girl studied it. "Would you take $1.00 for it?" she asked. I said yes. "How about 50 cents?" I pretended to think about it. "That would be all right," I finally answered. "Dad!" she shouted. "I bought a house!" Again, I was given a happy memory.
It's been my experience that when I find good new homes for things for which I have an emotional attachment but will no longer keep, the sting is taken out of the parting.
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