I didn’t know it but it started three years ago. 

We had a two-story house with four bedrooms, terrace, pool and a beautiful garden.  Then one day, three years ago, I received a job offer and decided to move to Miami.  I didn’t realize we had so much stuff until we started packing. We did a garage sale, gave things to friends and family, threw away some old stuff, but ended up taking most of our things to our new home in Miami.

One year later, we had to pack again.  My relationship of 13 years ended unexpectedly and I decided that I was not going to stay in that house any longer.  My daughter was going to study abroad for a semester, so I decided I was going to move to a smaller apartment, closer to the city.

This time I really had to let go!  My move was an analogy of what was going on emotionally in my life.  I had to get rid of things that I treasured. That I worked very hard for.  That had so many memories.

Another big lesson of that process was letting go of things that I had saved for years and only used on “special occasions.”  What a mistake that was!  I’d saved things for 20 years that I ended up giving to a neighbor that I had just met a few months back. We were finally able to dramatically downsize our lives.  It was very difficult but we did it!  My daughter was there with me and was my rock when I needed her most.

As I settled in my new place, I slowly started not to miss the things that once mattered so much.

The smaller, cozier place was representative of my new life.  Being alone, starting over, standing up after a great fall.  I learned to use things immediately, not to save them for special occasions. To live one day at a time.  To live in the now.  After two years of living there, that small apartment had become home.

This year, as I started to consider the possibility of taking a career break to travel the world, it wasn’t that difficult to accept the fact that we had to pack again and put everything in storage.  After all, those are just things that will still be there when we come back and are mostly replaceable.

Now I realize how the path to take me to this point started three years ago!  Every move was part of the letting go process I had to go through to be ready to do this. 

My daughter and ONE suitcase is all I need for now.  Our lives are full of experiences, instead of things.  Our world is bigger and we are living in the now. 

DON’T WAIT, MAKE A PLAN, POSTPONE NOTHING.

-MARI

9 thoughts

  3. Your reflection on living every day is marvelous. Actually, it is a gift. We forget that what we have is today…and tomorrow and next week is not promised. Thank you for doing this and sharing. You are both inspirations.

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    1. I have done that letting go several times in my life and YES it feels awesome to not need things but experiences and moments shared are our most precious teeasures…I have also learned that I can be happy cause I am the owner of my happiness and no one else is responsible for that part but me…live in the Now …Yes…how much peace this practice gives !! Thank you for sharing!

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  4. Ahora que me retiré decidí hacer esto en mi casa. No es fácil! Estoy tomando “baby steps” …una gaveta y closet a la vez. Y ya planificando mi viaje a Italia!! Happy travels!!

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  6. Thank you for sharing your experience. What lightness and clarity you must be enjoying now. I have gone through major purges in my life, but since getting married and having two kids we have accumulated so much. I like to think that I am neat and organized, but it makes it so much more difficult when there are more things to account for. My big challenge is organizing all of my fabric and crafting supplies, trying to find places for everything with two busy children tooling around the house constantly. My husband thinks I’m crazy…and I just want to sew! 🙂

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