Forget Swedish death cleaning, letting go is hard – even when it’s just a jacket | Nova Weetman
It would now be easier for us if Dad had sorted things before he died but the process of emptying his house allowed me to see him differently
I was browsing in a recycled clothing shop recently when I started talking to a woman who was holidaying in Melbourne. She wanted my opinion on a brightly coloured jacket she was eyeing. Laughing because I was in my usual uniform of whatever black clothes were clean, I told her it looked great and urged her to buy it. But she wavered, admitting that although she'd begun hunting out more unusual clothes since retirement, she was also in the process of shedding her belongings.
I'd heard about Swedish death cleaning" from friends whose parents were downsizing in anticipation of what they'd leave behind, and I blurted out the fact that my father had died suddenly, and my brother and I were in the painful process of cleaning out his house. I'm not sure why I felt compelled to reveal my loss, but as I talked, a sting of tears threatened.
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