Decluttering

Damn. It is hard to clean out drawers, closets, and paper. The last few monts has marked one of the few times that I have parted willingly with some things in my life. I have always been a packrat, which is surprising when you considered how many times I moved when I was younger, but lately I have found some of the extra stuff to be more of a pain in the ass than it is worth.

I am finally letting go of clothes that might fit that I never want to wear again. I am finally paying forward some of the pocket books that sure, make my bookshelf full, but really, there are so many other books out there, do I really need to hold on to them all? - so out they are going, released to the wild and hopefully will attract some new books with which I can start that cycle up over again. I am trying to hold on to the few books I will read again, those out of print, and those that one day I might use as a reference. Reference to what? Who knows at this point, but they are a remnant of my university days.

I just cleaned out my filing cabinet and created a whole bag for recycling. Where the hell does all this paper come from?? And shoes, I know I love shoes, but really! How many pairs can a girl own, especially when they start to date back over ten years? Ok, this is where I connect with Carrie from SITC (I love shoes) but I am finally letting go of some now that I know where I can replacements for a reasonable value.

I think there is real worth in getting rid of stuff you don't use and won't ever look at again. I think carting all this stuff around, or servicing it, even if it is a few hours every few months to move it around again, is burdensome. I don't think I will ever be an austere person, or someone that doesn't have a few dust bunnies or a huge pile of lobsided books, or papers shoved away for future reference, but it does help to tame that clutter beast with courage every now and then.