I have been pondering this "thinning down" of possessions of all types for some time & am still struggling & having a hard time with doing it. Not so much from an attachment to things, but because I worked my *** off to get a lot of them & went without taking the trips I wanted to take, family or not along, and I also know that many would be hard to replace now that I am on a limited income.
The other side is I do not want to burden anyone when I am unable to enjoy/use what I do have due to my physical condition(s), or pass on to rest on the other side.
Only one of my sons is interested in many of the things I have from tools , hunting & fishing gear, camping stuff, firearms, reloading stuff, etc. & my grandboys are too young yet to have the much interest in such things yet, although they do lean towards interest in them. Part of my problem is that I don't know just what they would want to keep & so I don't want to part with anything until I do know...
So, I tend to keep things I likely should get rid of & many call me a packrat for what I have, but almost all has a purpose & is not BS fluff.
Funny story about this came up just recently during last deer hunting season... Oldest son was watching me get some things out of my stuffed with tools & gear garage. ( So, much you could not get a car in there & it is a 2-1/2 car garage.). He says to me, " Dad, you are the "keepingest" S.O.B. I have ever seen..
I laughed , & turned to him and said, "Well, sonny, after I am gone you will likely be the "throwing-awayist" S.O.B. that you ever saw, too.". We both laughed & that was it. Just thought it was funny since both of us saw the irony & humor in our words. Hope you did too....
Anyway, like I said, it is somewhat of a struggle for me right now, but in the end, I will deal with it before it is too late to do so myself. Unless I am taken before hand, but I plan to get a good start on it this Winter by doing some tossing out & getting ready for a yard sale in the Spring.
G'Luck to all who are in a similar situation.