döstädning
I am a tree in autumn,
limbs stiffening from
dawn’s first frost,
clinging wistfully to
the dying remnants of
summer, old photographs,
books, trinkets, effigies
of a life lived long and
full, roots deeply
entrenched in the
familiar, yielding to
the wind whispering, it is
time to let go, to render
to yesterday its relics,
to turn the brittle page
in naked abandon, to rest
my soul in the cool present,
to sleep, to dream of
another glorious spring
~kat
Döstädning, which means “death cleaning” in English, is a method of downsizing and organizing from the Swedish author and artist Margareta Magnusson. Death cleaning isn’t about getting rid of all your stuff, but rather streamlining your life so you’re only holding onto what makes you happy.
I am moving from my big two story home in a month into a sweet little one level home on a hill in foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Hence, I’ve been a little less prolific in my writing here, obviously preoccupied with the details of moving. I am hoping my daughters appreciate my efforts to leave a smaller footprint for them to dispose of when I’m gone. And as for the years I have left (which I hope are many) I am excited to begin a new, simpler chapter. Peace!
Here’s my new view…
October 13th, 2019 at 10:54 am
I could live very happily with such a view.
May you have many happy years ahead in your new home Kat.
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October 13th, 2019 at 11:04 am
Thank you Peter. 😊
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October 13th, 2019 at 1:34 pm
…oh, and I’ve heard the Muse loves hanging out in the mountains! 😉
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October 13th, 2019 at 11:03 am
Fabulous 😎 😎
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October 13th, 2019 at 11:05 am
Thank you Dorna! Busy days ahead. 😊
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October 13th, 2019 at 11:58 am
Thanks for introducing the idea of Döstädning through this poem and your life. Nicely done. . .
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October 13th, 2019 at 12:00 pm
Thank you. 😊
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October 13th, 2019 at 12:04 pm
What a beautiful word and expression! Lovely poem to illustrate it too!
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October 13th, 2019 at 1:34 pm
Thank you Maranda. 😊
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October 13th, 2019 at 12:04 pm
Beautiful view! I totally understand the ‘downsizing’ in material things. I think it hit me back in 2012 when Mom passed and I had to clean out her hoard… I do mean hoard, too. So much that she didn’t need, would never use, yet refused to give up. I ‘deathcleaned’ her home, and then came home to do so with mine. I strive to keep life simple, only having those things which are needed for survival and which bring happiness. I have 5 days until I move. A townhome seems so huge to me, yet it will be 20 sq ft. smaller than our present place. I look at the corner of my dining area where everything is packed in bins and I think…Wow, sooo much! and yet, it’s down to basics and a few bins of “toys”. Will pray your move goes well, too.
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October 13th, 2019 at 1:27 pm
Thanks Bear. My vice is books. A library full of them. Most are not going with me. Having read them once, I doubt I’ll ever get back around for a second read! Hope your move goes well too! 🙂
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October 13th, 2019 at 1:30 pm
I have a handful of books that I read again and again. These, I keep. Most others I read and then donate.
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October 13th, 2019 at 1:35 pm
That is a good practice I need to employ going forward!
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October 13th, 2019 at 6:32 pm
It’s a wise move, though a lot of work just now. That’s a lovely view and a lovely poem. Enjoy your new home.
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October 13th, 2019 at 6:34 pm
Thank you so much. A bit daunting, but it will be so nice once we’re settled in! 😊
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October 24th, 2019 at 8:55 pm
Stunning poem, Kat.
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October 24th, 2019 at 9:26 pm
Thank you Rob! I am in the thick of it right now. Downsizing for a move in November. It is fitting that it is autumn. I’m in good company. 🍂🍁
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October 24th, 2019 at 9:50 pm
Good luck with the move Kat.
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October 25th, 2019 at 1:25 am
Thanks! 😊
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