I knew that if downsizing guru Matt Paxton and I ever got together, we would never stop talking. Fortunately, his publicist, who was hosting our Zoom call last week, had other places to be, or Paxton and I would have gone into extra innings.
Such is the territory we both know, love and share: People, their houses, and their stuff.
The former host of “Hoarders,” which ran for 15 incredible seasons, Paxton is fired up about his current show, “Legacy List with Matt Paxton.”
Now in its fourth season, the two-time Emmy-nominated series premiered on public television in January. Episodes feature him and his team visiting homes across America helping families unpack not only their stuff, but also the stories buried within.
“In all the houses I’ve been in, it’s never about the stuff,” he said. “It’s always about the stories.”
Learning by doing
Both Paxton and I unwittingly became downsizing experts out of personal experiences. I wrote my first downsizing book while in a state of PTSD, after clearing out my parents’ home of 50 years. Paxton lost his dad, stepdad and two grandfathers in the same year, and cleared out each of their estates.
It changes a person.
“Is that your home office?” was my first question when I virtually met Paxton. I asked because the white wall behind him was completely empty, like he was taking a passport photo, unlike my walls, which have, well, stuff.
“Yes,” he said. “I share it with my wife.”
“You share it, and it looks like that?”
He spun his laptop around to show me more of the pristine workspace, no papers, no books.
“Wow. You guys are hard-core minimalists.”
“We have seven kids in a 2200-square-foot house. We have to be.”
Stuff that builds identity
I did not show him my office, but I could tell by what he said next that he knew what it looks like.
“People who surround themselves with papers and books do it because it makes them feel important,” he said, “and they think it lets others know they are important; they have the papers to prove it.”
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