So today, in accordance with said realization, I went through a couple of boxes of stuff that have just been sitting around collecting dust (quite literally) for the past nearly three years.
(And. Ew. Dust is icky.)
Going through boxes like this always takes me a long time; these particular ones contained numerous college notebooks, which all held handouts I'd collected in class, snippets of poetry on random pages and doodles everywhere. I did my best to sort through and really weed out the things that I would never, ever need again (and, I'm sorry, but my French literature notes did not make it, although my French lit book did) and keep the things that I might need in the future.
The only problem with doing this is that you're making the decision now. Weeding out your old things is a little like gambling--you weigh each item and decide what the chances are that you really are going to need this toy tiger or personality test sometime in the future. If you decide that too few things are worth keeping, you run the risk of missing something essential years down the road. If you keep too many things, your house will be filled with boxes and boxes full of junk that noone will ever look at. And also you will have about 50 cats. (Somehow, the two always seem to go together.)
I think that, in this round, I threw away about half of what I'd been hanging onto. Some of the things I kept included an enormous binder full of the letters I'd mailed home during my mission, notes I took in my Young Adult lit course (which I figured I may need later on if I become a children's librarian) and a binder full of my old college papers (most of which were really awful, but hey--documentation is important, I think).
So, now I've got a full trash bag and a nearly full plastic bin o' stuff. I guess, maybe this time, I struck a good balance.
Now for my scrapbook stuff. (Shudder.)
And just to give you a good visual tour of my time, here's the mess I made:
And here's the trash bag full of old notebooks (sniffle):
8 comments:
Wow - you actually tossed 50% of it? Impressive. Hopefully this will serve as inspiration as I tackle my own piles o' stuff. For every thing I toss, it seems two more are added. Sigh.
Excellent work my dear! I know it is hard and horrible to go through all your things and dump half of them into the trash. Here is what I have decided about it as I have struggled to do it myself. The sad truth is that the only time I ever look at most of that stuff is when I'm sorting through it trying to decide whether or not to keep it or throw it out. I have just started throwing most things away instead because honestly why does it matter if I have them when I can't remember what I have because there is just so much of it? I have not regretted it yet. And I feel like my house and I can both breathe a little bit better.
P.S. My mom is that lady that keeps everything and is well on her way to fifty cats as she has eight already!
Ugh, I hate packing or unpacking, and I have a dire need to go through all my stuff and do a huge D.I. Drive. I have too many t-shirts and sweaters that my drawers can barely close!
Kim, I've been there. I have so been there. The nice thing about moving is that you simply have to get rid of lots of stuff. Otherwise you'll have to rent an even MORE expensive U-Haul truck. Eck.
And ST&J, that is actually an excellent point! I usually can't even remember things I've thrown away, so there's not likely going to be a time in the future when I'll think to myself, "Now, didn't I have a handout of an Old English poem somewhere in these college notebooks? Why didn't I keep that???" (And I'm sure your mom does just fine with the cats. Eight isn't TOO bad. :))
And Jekka, I'm pretty darn sure I'll have to make at least two or three more DI trips before I head out eastward. Yowza, do I gots too much stuff!
My grandpa says three moves are as good as a fire.
Ok, so I haven't read your blog for several months. I missed it! I have to agree - throwing away stuff is CATHARTIC! I love it! Since I've been doing this a lot lately (about 15 garbage bags, and three trips to DI), I've realized how much I like clearing out the clutter, and how much I like my scrapbook room minus the 17 boxes I've already packed. The amazing thing is - I haven't missed any of it. Excess stuff just weighs us down - the less you can get by with, the more time you have to spend on people and relationships (and reading!).
Yay, Mary! Welcome back! :) I'm hoping my blog will be a good way for family to keep up with my life when I'm gone. (That and, necessarily, many, many phone calls on weekends and after 9pm.)
And I agree--we are weighed down by excess stuff. I'm just hoping I'll be able to jettison enough of it before I head to Boston.
feels good to de-junk, I'll bet. Wish that's all I had to throw away!
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