Swedish Death Cleaning

Here's a thought-provoking question: Whose job will it be to sort through your things when you're gone? 

I know we may have in mind who wants to inherit Great-Grandma's tea set, or maybe Grandpa's pocket watch, but seriously, who do we know who's hoping for that collection of National Geographic magazines, or the drawer full of phone chargers? Is it just me, or do all of us have a drawer, a closet, or maybe even an entire basement, devoted to storing junk?

The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning

The Scandinavians have given us so many wonderful things: cross-country skiing, the coziness of hygge, and... what fresh hell is this? Swedish Death Cleaning? 

Are you curious?

Margareta Magnusson wrote a book about Swedish Death Cleaning. Basically, Magnusson encourages us to get rid of all the stuff we've accumulated we don't need anymore, so that no one else has to do it for us after we pass. 

A nagging thought I've had lately is I don't want to be the one to leave behind a garage and basement stuffed to the gills for my poor children to sort when I get to the end of my life. Yes, I will admit it sounds rather morbid, but the idea of living my life without clutter and chaos appeals to me. 

If I know that at the end of my life, my descendants are going to have to clean up after me, I want to make that burden as light as possible. Rather than buying unnecessary or inferior quality things, I want to make sure I buy only what I need, and that the things I purchase are worth having. I can get rid of the things I no longer use or want with a clear conscience. If there are items of value, whether monetary or sentimental, I know my children could enjoy, why not let them have them now?

For me, I am realizing there is a balance to be achieved between minimalism and hygge. I want to rid my life of clutter, and embrace those things that bring me joy and comfort. I'm not advocating stripping our homes down to a mattress on the floor, and keeping only a table and a minimal number of chairs, but I am suggesting that there is something very liberating about clearing out the things we no longer use or want. 

Each of us will have to determine what that balance will look like. What about you? What are the things you own that bring you joy? What could be pared down, or removed entirely? Are there family heirlooms you are storing just because distant relatives, long dead, thought them special? Are there things you no longer use or want that your family and friends would appreciate now?