Yesterday I went to a funeral for a friend. Lots of people showed up and they were missing him. He made a big and positive difference in their lives. I was thinking that sometimes we don't notice the value of something until we lose it. That particular person, place, job, home, life seems like it will always be there. Some people at the funeral said they still couldn't believe our friend was gone.
One of my favorite parts of clutter busting is after the clutter goes. People start to notice what's actually of value to them. Those things that matter finally get a chance. Often times it's the people in their lives that they've ignored in some way. Things can be pretty distracting and the people can fade into the background. But in the long run that life is not very satisfying because things have a sort shelf life. We get tired of them rather quickly and then we need another. But there's something about connections with others that hits a sweet spot.
I remember one family I clutter busted a few years back. I worked with them for a week. At first everyone seemed to be going off in different directions. When they did talk with each other it seemed like an inconvenience. I clutter busted with all four of the family members. As the week went by and lots of clutter was being let go, I noticed they began to have some nice moments together. They even seemed surprised that talking with each other felt good. Sometimes they would come in and help each other out with the letting go. They were naturally coming together.