The Most Loving Thing You Can Do Is Organize Now

A few years ago, I helped 3 siblings clear out their Mom’s apartment on the Upper West Side after she passed.

Their Mom had lived there for decades. Every drawer held a story. Every shelf was a season of life. Grief showed up in waves, sometimes in silence, sometimes in laughter over something completely unexpected.

I recently got contacted by one of the siblings, who is now 75 herself, who had reflected on what it took to close out a lifetime within a home and said, “I don’t want to repeat old mistakes. I don’t want my brothers clearing out my apartment when I pass".

Organizing isn’t just about matching bins and pretty labels. It’s about agency. It’s about making decisions while you still can. It’s about lifting a future burden off the people you love.

Her choice wasn’t morbid. It was loving & generous.

We can’t control everything. But we can control what we leave behind. 🩶