To Keep or not to Keep?
I am a pack rat by nature, and have to force myself to go through closets and drawers and throw out the old, the worn, the unused. I'm honestly not sure why I cling to things. My mom went through her closets and mine regularly as a child, so it sure isn't her fault.
Part of my problem is that I am strongly visual. The downside to that is literally 'out of sight, out of mind'. I keep things out if I need to do something with them, because if they are put away, I will forget to do whatever it is I am supposed to. Yes, there are always lists, but if I don't see something to put it on a list in the first place, it won't get done. One of the greatest things about my Nook is that I can borrow books from my library without having to leave them in piles by the front door so I'll remember to return them.
The thing is, some old stuff is meaningful. I won't throw out books about biographies, cities, or history. All of them are potential references. So is the occasional article I come across online about antique kitchenware or baby farming or some other all-but-forgotten aspect of life in times past. I will print and file them because I can retrieve them faster than by running a search or going through my large list of bookmarked sites. One of the best gifts I ever got was an album from my mother filled with old photos of her family. (A sneaky way of trying to pass her old stuff on to me? LOL!)
On the other hand, with the advent of online radio and digital music storage, I am okay with tossing out older CDs, while my normally 'toss 'er out' husband still has his beloved REO Speedwagon records. My youngest daughter kept one of her old Barbies as a memento of her childhood.
It is said that when you get rid of old things or attitudes, you make room in your life for new ones that suit your life now. What kind of things do you hang onto, and what can you let go of easily?
P.S.: I'm double-blogging today! At www.authorsbymoolight.comI take a quick look at the history of birth control in America. And ABM is giving away a gift certificate to one lucky commenter in March!
Related articles
Whether to Sort or Despair (claudsy.wordpress.com)
Project Simplify, Week 3 – Closets (rebekahdawn.wordpress.com)
Tagged: Books, clutter, Pack rat
