Both Glenda and Laura have been busy these last few weeks with renovations to their homes which translates into a big spring cleaning and decluttering. Some of the decisions are very easy to make, others are more challenging. What about those clothes that we hope we’ll fit into once we lose 10 pounds? What about that beautiful tablecloth bought on a whim in Thailand eight years ago that is still waiting for the perfect occasion? What about that birthday present from a friend that you don’t really like but feel badly about ditching. Well, it’s time. When we prepare for the future, we never know what’s around the corner, but we can clean out the clutter from the past.
Although it’s good to let go of things, one of Laura’s friends told her “Don’t get rid of the stuff that tugs at your heart.” So as Laura goes through this process, she has items attached to memories that she can now pass along to other people, but the ones that tug on her heart will stay with her until the next decluttering. Glenda likes to approach things with this in mind: if I’m not using it, maybe someone else will love it. She also realizes, that in the end, things are just things, and it’s our hearts and imagination that forms attachments. Although she loves to live in a home that is aesthetically pleasing, really, she may not need to keep all the items packed away in the cupboards. It can be a huge relief to say good-bye to things that stay in the dark. There are many places to give items to: our children, our friends, charitable societies, or places like Covenant House that provide shelter for street kids. It’s worth exploring these options. For those of you who live in the Vancouver area, the Marpole Curling Club (Laura curls out of there) is having it’s annual Garage Sale on Saturday April 30th 7 Sunday May 1st from 9:00am – 3:30pm. Please come have a hot dog and browse at all the sale items. Good luck on your spring cleaning. Who knows, with all that stuff out of the way, you might even have time to devote to Exit: The Life and Death Planner, making plans for the future.
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Exit: The Life and Death Planner aims to be helpful and informative. Our book/PDF is used primarily as a handbook wherein you record all your pertinent information. However, we do like to keep you entertained as you work through the chapters, and to this end, we’ve included some amusing and thoughtful quotes about life, death, and other relevant topics. Our readers always enjoy these quotes. We thought we’d share a few of our favorites in this blog.
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow.” - Mahatma Gandhi “Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me… Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful… that’s what matters to me.” - Steve Jobs “Death is not the opposite of life, but a part of it.” - Haruki Murakami “I’m not afraid of death; I just don’t want to be there when it happens.” - Woody Allen “To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die.” - Thomas Campbell “I am prepared to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter.” - Winston Churchill “Never say you know a man until you have divided an inheritance with him.” - Johann Kaspar Lavater “Death is not extinguishing the light; it is only putting out the lamp because the dawn has come.” - Rabindranath Tagore Exit: The Life and Death Planner deals with organizing documents, making end-of-life plans, and putting one’s affairs in order. Although we don’t discuss the topic of decluttering, that too is a way of literally putting one’s house in order.
Last month, Laura read the memoir They Left Us Everything, by Plum Johnson. It’s about a woman whose parents die and leave her with the task of emptying and selling the 4,000 square foot family house where she and all her siblings were raised. As you can imagine, there were decades of stuff to sort through. The book follows this woman’s journey through the sorting process, where old memories are revived and secrets are discovered. Of course, the process also involves a time of mourning and recovery (it takes her 6 months). It’s a lot of work, and not everyone has the luxury of spending 6 months to empty out their parents’ home. In the end, Johnson appreciates having had the time to go through what her mom didn’t sort out, but she also appreciates the fact that her mom left a will that indicated who should receive the most precious items. Johnson distributed the other household belongings by recording them and then inviting the children to spend a day each, selecting items they would want to keep. Laura enjoyed the book, and thought that the tasks of the Exit planner and Johnson’s sorting are interwoven. Also, Laura understood the heartache of having both parents die within a short time and having to clear out the family home. It is a very special time, not to be rushed if possible, but pre-arranging some of the sorting and documentation makes it easier on the survivors. Having Exit: The Life and Death Planner does help solve a lot of frustration. Recently, a friend purchased Exit: The Life and Death Planner on the occasion of her father’s 75th birthday. “I know that he’s aging, his health is declining, and suddenly birthdays and holidays remind me that my time with him is short.” Filling out the Exit planner provided our friend with a proactive project and a way of helping her father. By putting your affairs in order, you can feel a sense of purpose rather than despair.
In this holiday season, we hope that you will be able to enjoy special moments with loved ones. You might also take some time to work on your Exit planner, organizing your affairs, or helping someone else tackle this project. You can purchase the book or PDF from this website or, if you live in Vancouver, you’ll find our book at: Foot Solutions (2 locations) 2620 West Broadway, Vancouver 1836 Marine Dr, West Vancouver Banyen Books & Sound 3608 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver We wish you the best of the holiday season! Glenda & Laura It is a sunny day in Vancouver, and yet, our hearts are sad for those who have had the courage to go to war, and who paid with their lives to protect our freedom. We also honour those who continue to put themselves in danger to protect the rights of others in distant countries and at home in Canada. On days like this we feel the fragility of life. We want to remember the past so we can do better in the future.
I also know that some of our Exit planner customers who have lost loved ones in the last year will feel the poignancy of this day in the way that trauma makes us especially sensitive to loss. I wish you peace, comfort and courage. |
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July 2019
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