This week we start the process of moving to a new home, in a new country. We get the keys for our new house in the UK (and we have an overlap of a month before we vacate our house in France, so that’s time for a couple of car-loads tied in with other trips, and then a big truck-load at the end of May to take care of the larger furniture and appliances).

Springtime seems perfect for a big move: new growth everywhere; new colours; even the air seems new.

And spring is a great time to clear out lots of old clutter from past years and past lives. In our case that’s doubly enforced, as we are moving to a house that’s less than half the size of our current home.

Some people struggle to let go of old treasured possessions, but I find it liberating. Sure, there are some special things that I would not want to lose … at least not yet (childrens’ toys, their school projects). But these are truly “sentimental”, by which I mean that it’s the sentiment that I associate with the object that’s of value. I rarely see some of these objects from one year to the next, but they trigger the memories and feelings instantly when I do.

The most valuable possessions of all are our memories, and the space for these is still expanding …