“We should have moved a year ago,” she said.  I was recently sitting across the table from a client who needed help downsizing and moving to a retirement community.  That simple statement struck me to the core.  She had just finished recounting all of the physical challenges they had encountered in the last year, and bemoaned the fact that they were getting more and more frail and couldn’t put off the move any longer.  They simply couldn’t stay in their home.  “We should have moved a year ago,” her tone was filled with so much regret.

I am often struck by the difficulties that old age brings.  I see it all the time in my work with older adults.  A fall, a sprained joint or a broken bone, the diagnosis of a terminal disease, or even a bad bout with the flu can send huge ripples through a senior’s life.  Growing old isn’t for the faint of heart.

Of course, when a person is going through serious difficulties such as these, the last thing they are thinking about is their stuff.  But then, when the struggles reach a tipping point and a move becomes necessary, the stuff is still there.  And the stuff still needs to be dealt with.

“We should have moved a year ago.”

The brutal reality is that the longer you put off the rightsizing process, the more stuff you will have, and the less energy and time you’ll have to deal with it.  Life is hard enough.  Don’t let your stuff make it harder.  Rightsize now.