We all know how hard it is to declutter and get rid of things.
But bury St. Joseph in the Far East corner of the backyard?
Well, who better?
After all, he’s the strong, silent type. The patron saint of carpenters, families, and “Swedish death cleaners”.
Swedish death cleaning?
Yup, the new buzzword on the block – “dostadning”, a hybrid of the Swedish words “death” and “cleaning”.
More on this later.
There are many legends that may have contributed to the belief that St. Joe can help with decluttering:
- Saint Teresa of Avila in the 16th century wanting a new convent,
- the late 1800’s ritual of German carpenters burying a statue in the foundation of every house,
- Brother Andre of Montreal when he wanted land for a chapel,
- and Coun. Jeff Davidson when he wanted a new arena for the Calgary Flames.
But one must be cognizant, as apparently there are definite protocols for this ritual. Your options are:
- Bury him near your mailbox. (Makes sense.)
- Bury him 9 1/2” deep. (Or less.)
- Bury him close to the street as a sign that you’re decluttering the house soon.
- Place him upside-down so that he will be motivated to free himself by getting your house decluttered. (This suggests he’s stuck until the job is done.)
- Bury him right-side-up facing the house, pointing towards the house, pointing away from the house, close to the back of the house, close to the front of the house, or under a spruce tree.
- If you have an apartment or condo, you can bury him in a flowerpot – plants optional.
Then say your prayers.
Speaking of burying and hunting and gathering, I was just thinking…
Because of the dire situation we are presently in, what if they close the grocery stores?
We’ll have to hunt for our food.
I don’t even know where doritos live.
| So, “dostadning”. No, it’s not as morbid as it sounds. It’s actually quite practical. |
| Trailing on the anorexic stiletto heels of Marie Kondo, but with measurable differences, Margareta Magnusson in her 2018 book, The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, encourages us to slim down what we leave behind, by getting rid of unnecessary objects in favour of what we actually need, so that no one else has to do it for you after you pass. It might be said that this is the antithesis of the ancient Egyptian tradition of being buried with things to accompany us into the afterlife. Like our Saeco Picobaristo Super Automatic Espresso Machine. |
| But she does have some great declutttering techniques, like some of my clients do – by handing their extraneous stuff to me as I go out the door. The deal is not to wait until the day you look in the mirror at your wrinkles to realize that some parts of you have dropped so low you can’t find them. |
You may want to think of “dostadning” this way.
We all have that box (or three) tucked away in the far reaches of a closet.
Now if we didn’t want anyone to find it while we’re alive, we certainly don’t want to leave it lying around for someone to find out when we’re dead.
(Music softly playing in background from The Bridges Of Madison County when Francesca’s (Meryl Streep) children read the journals leading them back to 1965 and every detail of those four days in which she has enveloped herself every year since.)
| There are apparently some perks to this “dostadning” thing. 1. It might make you happier. (Or maybe some of the people that live with you.) Unless it is pizza, we can usually live without it. If we pared down the argument is that we can better focus on the really important things in life, like wine and chocolate.Oh, and relationships and experiences. 2. It might help you feel less stressed and overwhelmed and get more done. An argument for embracing your inner Scandinavian Cinderella? Living in an organized space with fewer things to worry about can make life more manageable; from driving 7 children to soccer practice in rush hour, to figuring out how to program Roku to your TV so you can watch a soccer game before it ends, or not doing 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do. 3. It might help you better cope with the reality of your own mortality. We must all talk about death, but most of us feel like Woody Allen who quipped, “I’m not afraid of death, I just don’t want to be there when it happens.” Death however, is a very effective way of cutting down on expenses. And cleaning. Getting rid of items can serve as a reminder that things don’t last forever, including us. And some of us may end up having to deal with some disability or illness that forces us to downsize or move out of our homes. |
| And by the way, Nobody Wants Your Stuff, especially your children. Baby boomers aren’t itching to glam on to your mahogany furniture, 12-piece set of bone china and wool area rugs. They have their own tastes in home decor – and hair styles. You need to ask yourself – Will anyone be happier if I save this? 4. You get to hang onto sentimental and lovable items. Keep just enough to remind you of what you want to be reminded of and what you dearly love (as well as your couch), like your treasured Swarovski crystal owl collection, Girl Guide uniform and love letters. |
That’s not to say people with magnetic personalities who aren’t bothered by clutter wouldn’t reap the same benefits of organizing, as people who are innately more motivated to do it. They just don’t know it yet.
But you don’t need to beat yourself up for not attempting it.
You can always hire a really good organizer/stylist/decorator with the utmost patience, courage, persistence, and just plain hard work, like old St. Joe.
Your faith will be rewarded. (And you won’t have to bury me.)
And Amen to that.
You’re a riot Karyn!! Hope you’re keeping well 🙂
Kindest regards,
Gary
Love this one. Hope you have enough coffee, wine and chocolate to last for awhile.
👩❤️👩
Nancy
STOP BEING SO AWESOME!!!!
Steve