My mother is a piano

Okay, not really, but she’s in the piano.

Okay, not really in the piano, like physically, but energetically.

When my mom was alive, she had two pianos.

The Yamaha was in the living room. It was kept tuned. It was for piano lessons, lovely parties with friends, and playing daily. The Lester was in the dining room. It was for uproarious, childlike fun. It was a big old upright grand with carved wood and had been passed down through the generations. When I was little, my mom would play In the Hall of the Mountain King by Edvard Grieg while my sisters and I would run faster and faster around the dining room table. When my kids were little, she’d let them sit on her lap and bang out tunes on the Lester.

My mom loved music. She loved kids. She loved to play (in every sense of the word).

When she died, my sisters and I made sure those pianos stayed with us. My sister had the Yamaha shipped to her home in Minnesota, and I brought the Lester home.

It was completely out of tune and needed repair. My mom hadn’t gotten it restored it because she had always said it was too expensive. It sat in my own house for years, unplayed. Finally (only after decluttering my own life), I realized I needed to take care all the things I’d kept. The Lester was one of those things. I made some calls and had it restored (not surprisingly, it wasn’t crazy expensive).

Now I keep it tuned regularly. I host parties and hire piano players to play (the lessons never paid off - haha). My kids’ friends come over and play it, too. It’s a visual reminder for me to play (not just the piano, but in life).

Objects can be negatively or positively charged. In this case, the piano is holding a very positive energetic charge for me. It’s magnetic.

Everyone who plays it says the same thing, “It’s got a wonderful sound.” In a weird way, it’s like they are getting to meet my mom.

When we speak of decluttering, the focus is often on what we let go of, but we also learn how to care for the things we keep.

Also, as you move through the categories of decluttering you’ll pick up momentum just like Grieg.

I love you, mom. And yes, I know you’re not a piano. :)