Unexpected Joy in Giving Away All of Our Belongings

When we shared that we were planning to give away ALL of our belongings, sell the house and cars, and downsize to a backpack for all our worldly possessions; reactions were, “I could never do that”, and “That’s gotta be so emotional…so hard.”

Yes! Those are expected responses to 50+ years of accumulating “stuff”…and by “stuff” we mean family heirlooms, childhood memories, mementos from our travels, gifts from family and friends, unique vintage pieces, comfortable furniture we’ve loved every day, practical items that make our lives better, our favorites of this-and-that, and on and on. It can be overwhelming and impossible to part with.

To be honest, we didn’t know how we were going to feel. Initially, the most distressful part was trying to figure out HOW to get rid of the stuff. We wanted to avoid a garage sale or getting ghosted by strangers on Facebook Marketplace. We also wanted our stuff to go to places where they would be appreciated.

We chose a combo of gifting specific items to friends that were close by in proximity (e.g. vintage kimono and dresser, guitars, crystals, Ogi—our deceased doggo’s—favorite hedgehog toy, some designer shoes and clothes, Le Creuset, a kilt!, etc.) plus donations to charitable organizations, plus posting photos to a shared Google Photos album for people to claim stuff. We didn’t have to wait long for all our stuff to find a home…about 3 weeks total!

To our surprise, this experience has been more joyous than we ever imagined, being able to rehome our belongings. We’re excited that a piece of us gets to live on in so many different ways through people we love and care about, and now, there’s an interesting story connected to each item!

As the Buddha taught, “The greatest gift is the act of giving itself” because letting go counteracts our human disposition towards clinging—the ultimate source of suffering. Once we realized the impermanence of everything and ‘holding onto’ is an illusion, it’s liberating. We have genuinely felt joy and overwhelming gratitude throughout this process of letting go.

Everything left of Akiko’s belongings fits into a backpack and a purse!