Just let go already

Do you ever find it hard to let go of things? Especially stuff that has been in boxes for years. Typically that "stuff "meant something to you at one time in your life, but as the years went by, that "stuff" found it's way into boxes and then into some deep, dark hole. Suddenly five years go by and you've never given it a second look or thought. When you finally get around to blowing the dust off it, you find that it doesn't usually have the same meaning or value that it once did.

This week I've been blowing the dust off a few boxes from the garage and discovering what's inside. I haven't touched the boxes for several years. So I figured it was time to pull them off the shelves and to start getting rid of whatever was inside.

I would consider myself the antithesis of a packrat. I'm usually pretty good about clearing and cleaning out old "stuff." Abby can atest to that. But for some reason, this stuff has been a little harder to get rid of. I'm having a hard time dropping it in the trash and forgetting about it. It's brought some good laughs to Abby because she finds it amusing that the "anti-packrat" can't part with a few things.

So what is it that has been so hard to get rid of for me? Nothing particularly important. One shoebox was full of notes that I received from friends in middle school. You know, they're the sappy ones that are marked private, traded in secret and hidden from all others. The ones you don't want your friends reading or teachers catching, and least of all your parents or dreaded siblings finding. The notes are full of important things like: "I have nothing to write about"; "we're watching this really boring video in class"; "Mr. Bunnel is soooooo boring"; "My parents won't let me talk on the phone all evening"; "My sister is so annoying"; "BFF"; "WBASAP"; "Are you mad at me?"; or "Will you go out with me."

Some of my more astute friends put dates on the notes. Most of the notes I have saved are from my 8th grade year - 1995. I can hardly believe that was 13 years ago. Wow. You'll be glad to know that I no longer have those notes. They went out with the recycle bin this morning. It feels good to let go. That's one less box in the garage. And that was the easy box.

I have other, bigger boxes that are full of sports memorabilia. Some of the stuff is from my years of playing soccer all over the state and country - medals, trophies, plaques, pins, etc. And some of it is autographed pictures, balls and cards from professional sports players. You know, the stuff that "will be worth money some day."

I find this stuff particularly hard to get rid of because it could be worth money. Probably not. But could be. I need to find the motivation to look it up on the internet to see if I could get any money for it. If I can't, then I'll find people who may want it, or I'll manage to throw it away.

My hope was that if I moved this "stuff" from the garage to the living room and took it out of the boxes, that it would motivate me to get rid of it. So far it's working.

Anyone want to buy some signed Ken Griffey Jr. stuff? I have hundreds of his baseball cards.