What happens when mom’s an organized hoarder?
My mom passed away on March 28th, 2018. I was mid-flight from NYC to Portland after a week in the city with my family for spring break. It was about an hour into the flight and I was getting missed calls notifications from my sister. Because we were mid-flight, I was not able to get through; however, I was able to connect through instant messenger.
Mom was gone.
My mom had been having health issues in recent weeks and we knew she would not pursue help from medical professionals, so it wasn’t a shock to learn she had passed. So over the next 12 hours, I would land in Portland, repack my bag (in baggage claim I might add) and, head to her home in Chicago to begin the process of sorting through her life. You see, my mom was what I like to call an organized hoarder.
Her house was full, but you could still get around.
If you have one of something, she had ten.
Each cabinet, closet, drawer, and the counter was packed full of stuff, in an orderly fashion.
She could locate anything (which was really a gift), but you would need directions on how to find it.
She wanted to share her things with people but would have difficulty letting go.
She enjoyed everything she owned but hardly used anything at all.
I’m wearing one of my mom's costumes, circa 1970-ish
Over the years, she would make numerous attempts to downsize her possessions and finally get organized. Like most of us, she did leave bits and pieces of information relating to her affairs for us to find. Not quite a road map, but definitely a trail of bread crumbs that helped us put all the pieces of her life together, so that we could then, take it all apart again. We painstaking had to search and sort through her things to find the important details we needed.
As my sisters and I casually picked through papers on the kitchen table, we discussed how we were going to tackle this huge project. So many details to navigate and decisions to be made, it was overwhelming. Never mind that the two of us lived on the other side of the country. So, over the next 6-months, we slowly chipped away at mom’s life. Sorting, purging, shifting, stacking, and so on. Thankfully, there were a few laughs along the way, that I believe, mom would have enjoyed.
Mom was organized, and a hoarder. We all knew that this was hard for her and despite the fact that I have been a professional organizer for over 15 years, she was unwilling to accept my help. She could fill a room with her laugh (and her song) and her passion for the things she loved. I celebrate her oddities and appreciate how she helped me find my why…
Why I am passionate about helping people.
Why I love to teach people that you can get this done.
Why it’s important to emphasize the story rather than the stuff.
Are you ready to start downsizing your life?
