Death cleaning at age 57

Eventually I learned I had to dump my stuff out, tote by tote, before things got better. Image by Claudia Stack

My life took an unexpected turn three years ago. Without dragging you through a lot of boring medical details, suffice it to say my hair is just now coming back for the second time. Yes, I have had so much chemo that I have lost my hair twice already.

However, this article is not about my cancer, it’s about coming to terms with my stuff. It’s about trying to make things easier on my family for that inevitable time when I pass, which may well be sooner rather than later. It’s also a little bit about curation– wanting certain people to have certain things.

I heard the term “Swedish death cleaning” for the first time about five years ago, but it didn’t take center stage in my mind until I was diagnosed with cancer three years ago. Just for the record, I haven’t read any books about Swedish death cleaning (still too distracted by the many history books I’m reading!). I did read a few articles, though. Enough, to get the gist. The concept resonated with me because I had wanted to streamline anyway, even apart from my illness, but the cancer clinched the deal.

At first, though, I couldn’t step back enough to embark on death cleaning. I was too…