Being old....

Life is so very short.

Mine is absolutely whizzing. Any tips how to slow it down?

Making the most of the time I suppose. Savouring the moment. Keeping healthy for as long as possible if possible blah blah.
Quality of days not just quantity. Being mindful of how many we may or may not have left.
Maybe even some planning.
Jane10 may have some more answers. She is a planner if I remember correctly.

Isn't the meaning of the quote that an old man (or woman, I presume!) is a mine of information, and when he or she dies all that knowledge dies with them?

Unless they've been able to pass some of it on, of course.

In theses days of computers, the library saying doesn't really work any more.

Nice to think us old 'uns know a lot of course, the question is if we remember it all clearly enough!

Well it's probably an old saying, roses! Don't most people know what a library is, anyway, even if they never visit one?

Perhaps we should say "like all the world's computers have crashed"!!

Mr Google does it all so much better!

Or one computer has crashed?

That's right Ana (meaning) That's why I think it will be a crying shame when I pop my clogs.

Just told Mr Roses this little Mali saying..... He agrees strongly and says, yes,
Older men have so much stored information but nobody wants to listen to it.

A lady who lived opposite me died a few weeks ago. She was in her late 80s and had been in poor health for a while. I know it's life and that's how it is but I found it so sad when her adult children hired a skip and I watched a lot of her 'things' being thrown on to it. Her young grandson was standing on the steps leading up to her house, throwing books and other bits and bobs into the skip. They are a nice family and she was a much loved lady and I know these things have to be done but it was

A sad scene, KatyK. Reminds me of when I was in charge of a clearout for an elderly relation who had just died. I'd engaged a company to come to clear all the stuff that wasn't destined for other family members - everything from furniture to hats in hatboxes - and they handled everything with such care, even though some of it was completely valueless. The respect they showed for a deceased person's belongings touched me deeply and they'll be my first choice when the next occasion arises. (If anyone wants a recommendation for this service within the M25 please PM me!)

I saw the same thing happening about 2 weeks ago in my road, but one hard truth is nobody wants videos these days and charity shop have so many books, they only want books in excellent condition. It's a lot of bother to go through everything with a fine tooth comb looking for things which shouldn't be chucked and so much easier to get house clearance people in. My friend arranged for an auction house to sell a few of her Mum's pieces, but it was nearly 18 months before it was sorted and she didn't feel it was worth the bother.

It helps if family and friends know if there's something they would like. I still have my grandad's James Herriot paperbacks and a big China dashund that he bought in a moment of rebellion against my gran! He died in 1984, but I will always keep them. No doubt they will be binned when I go because nobody else wants them. All the memories gone in the blink of an eye.

Over 60 years ago my father borrowed a book (Stalky and Co.) from his sister. I read it when I was about 12 and bagged it for my bookshelf. Over the years she mentioned it occasionally and eventually, about 30 years later, when it had become a standing joke between us, I gave it back After she died I asked my cousin if she could have a look for the book while she was clearing Auntie's room out. I had a phone call to say she had found the book for me and then she said "Why didn't you just ask her for it?" How on earth can you say to someone that they are obviously on the way out and can you have their favourite book?

My Dad lived in a retirement apartment (which he loved) and had watched families struggle with the necessary clearing out process. When he knew his cancer couldn't be treated he insisted we cleared out a lot of 'stuff' while he was alive. He said what was to be disposed of. We did keep some things at home for a while but a lot we disposed of as he directed. It was hard at the time but so much easier later. I'm not sure I would have his strength of mind but it is another way.

I found clearly my parents house very stressful indeed and wouldn't want to put my daughters through it so DH and I are keeping everything minimal - we are just doing a book clearance as the British Heart Foundation are having a book appeal this month. he will go and buy some more as we both love books but some of our reference books are way out of date. I read Mary Wesley's 'Jumping the Queue' years ago and found the heroines need to leave a clean and orderly house for her relatives very touching. I plan to do the same (not walk into the sea - leave it all clean and tidy)

My DS has been promising (threatening?) to come up here and do a 'life laundry' on my house. When I downsized 15 years ago, he helped me to fill skip after skip and I took loads of stuff to charity shops. So how have I managed to accumulate so much that the walls of my little house are bulging? He needs to come soon!

My Mum has been doing the clearing out thing for about 5 years - since she moved house. Trouble is I keep taking more stuff from her. We've always been hoarders and now we're trying to clear out stuff, but it's a hard habit to break, especially when there's nothing wrong with a lot of stuff and nobody wants it!

DD says she would be very unhappy if we decided to do our own house clearance before we died. She said that dismantling the family home will be an essential part of the mourning and moving on process, even though it will be stressful

Having had to clear houses 5 times I must say I agree with her. It was stressful, but also cathartic.

I think perhaps It's more about making it easier on the bereaved rather than do it for them as such. The process still has to be gone through afterwards.

I have enjoyed the closeness of discussing the memories and emotions around different items with my Mum and it prompts me to ask questions that may not have occurred until it is too late. I didn't experience anything like this with my Dad because my Step-Mum decided to do all the clearing out herself (her way of dealing with it, which I don't have a problem with) and she is still living in the house they shared. I was given two of my Dad's things - a crucifix and a leather jacket (!) - and that was the end of it. It's only now that I realise I wish I had been included, but it's water under the bridge long ago.

My parents downsized about 12 yrs before they moved to a bungalow. The clearing out was not to bad apart from my Dads garage.

It's not just the size of our house that will cause a problem but the amount of crap OH hoards.

I will leave it to our children a significant proportion of the stuff is theirs. Lego, "My little ponies" soft toys etc etc.