Delicate Delights

Hi everybody! Sorry I haven't been on top of blogging as much as I'd have liked but I have been busy collecting research and stories from field work that I am now ready to share with you! Please take a look at the beautiful things my client has hired us to help her to sell. These items really are special, each has a story and a history. I have had a lot of fun collecting these photos, researching their values, and hearing about how my client had acquired them all. If you are interested in any of these items please feel free to email me: adrianwg@caringtransitions.net

Packin' up papa

Today I worked with a client. A very sweet man of 76. He loves to talk of his parents and his colleagues and is a collector of technology. He has run in several marathons and is still in marathon condition! He is an inspiration to us all. This is what I have learned by talking and working with him, but these are also things that anyone could deduce just from taking a walk around his living room. We all cherish different things. I may not always understand what is so important about an old bell jar, but I do respect that I must treat every item that goes through my hands with the same respect I would treat the most cherished items in my own home. This takes a lot of time but it is part of the job that I am hired to do. I am a senior move manager and part of the job is hand holding and patience. When you're working in someones home, altering and removing contents in order to make it safer and more manageable, I always stop and take a step back. For instance, the stack of magazines in the corner shelf by the living room window is not just clutter, it is someone's memories. Each magazine took a moment to acquire and a life time to accumulate. But now, unfortunately, it has become clutter. I must reclaim this space for my client, make it safer and better for living so that he can continue to contribute more memories. This is my mission. Keep on keepin' on!

February 10th, 2010

Hi everyone, this is my first blog. I hope that this information finds people in their time of need. As the president of Caring Transitions, I help elders to move, and transform their living environments to be more safe and less cluttered. What I aim to do with this blog is to provide elders and their families with stories and experiences taken from the field in order for them make more proactive decisions regarding their downsizing and decluttering needs. Since this is my first blog I am going to keep it short and to the point. This is very important. Please, don't leave decluttering and downsizing for your children. Don't wait until it is too late. Start making decisions now while you still can. Take small steps. Take 1-3 full black garbage bags full of catalogs and magazines to the shredder or disposer every day for a week every three or four months rather than letting it pile up. While it's important to save bank statements and IRS information, there is no need to keep it forever. Check online at www.irs.gov for how long to keep each specific record for your individual needs. I can't begin to stress the difference it makes to let go of paper and unnecessary documents. You'll really be saving time for the future.