This is what I know for sure: houses can be bought and sold. Homes we carry in our heart!

The process of selling my own house started in earnest with cleaning out a dozen years of clutter and what now seems to me over 30 years of personal history. The piles of things to shed grew higher and the closets grew cleaner, until we came to the final stages…when the clutter had disappeared and what remained now was the bare bones of the house. I have often spoken to people about this–it is the process of creating the appearance of a house that can adapt itself to the personality of the buyer…that makes itself more desirable because it is clean and organized and somewhat neutral–think a miniature scale version of the Pottery Barn…something that can appeal to different people so that they can they make it their own.

What I never realized is that this final process of staging takes away the comfort of a home…what remains is now a house ready for sale. Go visit any new home model around the country and you will know that there is an art to this presentation….

And so now that my home is a house, I owe gratitude to the folks who have shared their expertise and time, including Sherri Williams ( the Travis Country neighborhood real estate expert), Michael The Stage Coach, Joe the helper…and of course, my best friend and my partner, John. My special thanks go to all those who have listened to me and to those who have prayed so that I would have the emotional and physical strength to continue on this transition.

And now, when the finish line is in sight–I can sing because home will always be in my heart.

Life is Amazing! Live Well.

Anna Grassini

www.lifeinbalancecoach.com

Transition is the movement from one stage to another–transitions can take all shapes and involve change that we either chose or that somehow fell upon us (think pink slip, death, illness…something transformative that we may not have chosen). Transitions are on my mind right now as I shift from one city to another. I have handled everything about the move with attention to detail, trying to keep my linear thinking and clarity through the process…and all was going well until the necessity to clear the clutter came about. All of a sudden, a wall of emotion came over me. Memories are what matter– we made them in this house, but they will travel with me in my heart…and yet the emotion is strong and there is an exquisite sadness about moving on. I am trying to wrap my arms around it…I remind myself to be kind and gentle to myself, and to sit with the emotions–to honor where I am and what I feel.
What are you experiencing in your own life transitions? Would love to hear!

Even when I was a child my mother asked me to clean out my room, which really meant to put things back where they belonged. Reluctantly I complied…though I am sure I never quite met the standards of order that would have been required. Decency maybe was more the level of what I could achieve.
So now I find myself having to clean the whole house in preparation of a move. My mother’s voice is not commanding me to do it…my adult self is saying “do it.” So I tackled my closet…for what seems the second or third time! I never thought of myself as a “hoarder” but maybe I have to rethink that one. What was I thinking when I saved the shoulder pads from my 1980s clothes? Really! So tonight I went through the closet one more time and I tried to keep the mood light by wondering what an archaeologist would think if she were uncovering the treasures that I am finally parting with! Order still eludes me, but there is evidence of progress towards some decency…I am encouraged and delighted by the feeling of freedom that sharing usable stuff and recycling unusable things is causing. What a feeling! If you have stories to share about your organizing experiences I would love to hear from you!
Life is Amazing! Live well.

So I wish I could say I have invented a “clutter magnet”–an object that magically attracts all clutter and “disappers” into order. Alas, no such great news from me…I am, and have always been, a clutter magnet: in the sense that clutter appears around me everywhere. My friend Mary Thompson says that I can live with clutter because my brain is extremely organized (she has the spices alphabetized in the pantry–who knew that could be possible!). There is some truth to that. But as I prepare to move and I methodically unclutter the space around me, I am amused to see that there is some real zen in having fewer objects around. How I will be able to replicate the experiment of order after I move is an entirely different source of musings. In the meantime, for those of you out there desiring decluttering resources, check out some of Julie Morgensten’s books…and see where that new knowledge takes you. If you are still a clutter magnet at the end of the process, don’t be surprised. Just make sure your brain stays organized! And, if you need help with that, hire a life coach!

Life is Amazing! Live Well.

Anna Grassini