Now, first, I'm not going to self-flaggelate much. I don't think the amount of things I have makes me a bad person, especially since much of it was gifts or books bought for school or t-shirts that went along with activities I did. I'm not drowning in my diamonds, in other words. But I have become increasingly aware that I have stuff that fills a room in Cambridge, a closet and dresser at my parents' house (plus some storage rooms), and a room, kitchen, and store room at my apartment in Palo Alto. Many of these items have made it through dozens of previous cleaning projects, but I'm pleased to report that eventually a time comes when I realize that I'm more sick of seeing a certain item than I feel sentimental about it. When that happens, I can say, "Honestly, I'm never going to use this. It can go away." But there are challenges, of course. My big stumbling blocks are:
- Books. Most are college books I've read and either want to display out of pride or think I might one day want to look something up in. One shelf is yet-to-read. One bookcase is childhood books that are sentimental and/or classics that it would be wrong to get rid of (all the Little House books, for example).
- Magazines. Why do I feel the need to read them cover to cover? Because you learn unexpected and interesting things that way. I'm just now eliminating a stack of magazines that dated as far back as 2008. Three to go!
- Clothes. I'm not a stereotypical clotheshorse. I don't yearn to go shopping, and I don't really like spending money on clothes, because it always seems like a lot for a single item. However, I suffer from the "it's still good, it would be wasteful to throw it away" syndrome, combined with sentimentality when it comes to t-shirts. While I think this is the ethical position to take, it also means you end up with, say, a number of oversized, faded (unflattering!) t-shirts from various Girl Scout events, or from national parks you visited with your family when you were about 12.
I'm always a little embarrassed about how many boxes I fill up while packing my dorm room. It's crazy to think what it will be like when I actually have kitchenware or furniture!
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