As I get older, I realize how much “stuff” I have and how much I don’t need. I am becoming a minimalist. I don’t have any paperwork or documents cluttering my home, everything is scanned and stored in the cloud. I don’t have knick knacks or clutter.
Recently, I was meeting with a friend and I was contemplating purchasing a more spacious home which might be more appropriate for when my Alzheimer’s get worse and I am more home bound. He had good advice….forget about the bigger home, all the stuff and focus my life on experiences.
My husband and I spent a few days discussing this and have decided to do just that. We are doing a few small home improvements to get our house exactly the way we want it when my disease progresses. We are going to focus the remainder of our life on experiences, not stuff. For us this includes:
- Completing our bucket list travel
- Visiting our children more often (they live in different States)
- Spending time with friends locally and elsewhere across the USA
I also find myself now that I am older and kind of feel I “know my expiration date” that I no longer enjoy or appreciate my jewelry and some other expensive items. If I am not enjoying them, why am I keeping them? I am considering gifting them to my children and other loved ones sooner than later.
Every time I contemplate a purchase now I ask myself “is this item going to bring me joy? For how long?”.This has really helped me streamline my purchases (although clothing is still my guilty pleasure that I need to overcome).
I just completed another one of my bucket lists trips and I am so blessed to be in good enough health, and have the financial independence to do so. It was such an amazing experience and I’m glad I “invested” in this rather than material things. I am doing what is right for me.
What are you focused on? Is your focus helping to achieve your lifetime dreams and goals? Getting older and also receiving a terminal diagnosis of early onset Alzheimer’s has often me significant focus on what is important to me.
What is important to you? What would you regret if you died tomorrow or next year? No one can predict when our last breath will be. What experiences have you had? Will the last chapter in your book say you lead a fulfilling life? It it won’t, you have time to make changes, you just need the courage and strength to do so.
Not today, Alzheimer’s , not today. I am busy experiencing life and loving it!
Living My Best Life With Alzheimer’s 