Traveling Light

 

Day 2 of the Slice of Life Challenge (posted on day 3)

I work for an organization that provides transitional housing for homeless families. We provide each of our clients with a fully furnished apartment.  All of that furniture is donated and we have to get creative when sourcing items! 

Yesterday I received a call from a professional home organizer who was doing a whole house clean out. She invited me, and several other organizations, to pick through the remains of a large home. I assumed the owner had passed away, so the organizer's cavalier attitude seemed a bit out of place. After chatting a while, I learned that the owner of this large home had simply took what he wanted and moved out of state. 

I was shocked at what was left behind, as well as delighted by all the furnishings I could get on behalf of our clients. Furniture, area rugs, TVs, wall art, clothing, chachkies, plants, ancestral portraits, trophies, bottles of wine, golfclubs, and more.  He even left dirty dishes in the sink and a container of grape tomatoes on the kitchen counter. 

My husband and I are beginning to face the fact that we need to start downsizing. We have an attic full of God-only-knows-what, a utility room with a large accumulation of tools, random bits of wood, board games, and so much more. I'm sure it's expensive, but I am so intrigued with  this idea of just taking what we want and leaving the detritus to a professional to deal with. I didn't even know that was a thing. 

What would you leave behind?