On October 25, 2006, my grandmother died, in the morning.  I was a little surprised.  I figured she'd have at least another week in her.  I had hoped to write about it on the day, but I've been busy.

  Today, from about 10 am to 5 pm, I had to help get her stuff out of her house and into storage.  Apart from a stove, a fridge, and a bed, pretty much everything left in there is my mother's, who had effectively moved in with her.

  I've noticed that I sure had helped move a lot of other people's stuff in my life.  Sister #2 has moved at least three times that I've helped.  I helped when my grandfather (different parent) died, and now with my grandmother.  This has definitely contributed to my appreciation for a minimalist lifestyle.

  Take a look at all your possessions, and imagine what it would take to move all of them (time and energy)... and then multiply that by 10, because it's always more than you think.  And take a look at exactly what your possessions are.  Keep this in mind as you grow older, and consider what people are going to have to deal with after you're dead.

  Do you have a bunch of stuff that nobody but you gives a shit about?  Are you a pack-rat with 13 dozen empty glass containers of one form or another?  If you do get rid of all the little crap you don't need, do you have a bunch of crap furniture that you don't need and nobody will ever want?

  I'm just saying, as you live your life, please have some consideration for the crap people are going to have to put up with after you've become useless, in whatever applicable capacity.

  I'll eventually go through another reduction phase.  I have a number of useless things that I still have for sentimental reasons.  I'll probably have sloughed that off before the end of next year.  Lot of stuff from my childhood.  I have a couple of Popples that'll take me a while to turn loose.  While it's unlikely that I'll have any kids of my own, I haven't completely counted it out, and there are some toys I would like to pass on.

  I think there was something else I wanted to talk about, but I don't remember what it was.  I'm kind of tired.

  She had three sofas.