Saturday, February 13, 2016

Should It Stay or Should It Go?

I feel as if I need to throw some stuff away.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not there.
Last year, as I prepared to start my life over in an apartment half the size of the house I shared with my almost-ex, I got rid of so many possessions. Years and years of acquisitions, memories, and just...things. Most of the discards felt good. Some felt sad. But all were necessary to move me and Precocious Daughter to the next stage of our lives.

We're settling nicely into our apartment. We have lots of storage. We're making strategic furniture acquisitions that maximize our ability to keep meaningful, memorable things. It's looking good, Drunkards.

Yet as I look around my personal space, I can see that there are still items I need to discard because they simply don't fit into my current digs.

It's going to be hard.

Maybe not this hard, but you know...hard.
I'm asking your advice. If you had to, what would you be most likely to get rid of?

1) My vintage clothes collection, which has pieces I treasure but can no longer actually wear because of weight gain.
2) My trove of collectibles from my childhood (like my earliest stuffed animals and my Smokey the Bear bank) that have little inherent value to anyone but me.
3) My enormous stash of fabric, which I may or may not ever make into wearable clothing but which represents a huge emotional and financial investment in owning things I love.

Which should go, readers? Or which should stay? I don't know quite what to do.

I promise I'll let you know what I decide, based on your advice. So please chime in. My still-cluttered bedroom thanks you.

8 comments:

  1. Have your Drummer Boy store it in his storage unit. ;)

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  2. I don't know that I'm one to give advice, because I held on to many of those very things myself for quite some time. I'm with Anonymous for the following reasons:
    The clothes because you never know. You could drop a few pounds someday and look fabulous in them -- or Pdaughter may end up wearing them someday.
    The keepsakes because, duh. Memories. Maybe go through them and donate the ones with the least amount of emotional ties to them.
    The fabric because, fabric. You never know when you'll get a wild hair up your ass and start feeling crafty.

    However, if something HAS to go, I'd sell the fabric because if you're anything like me, you'll covet it until you die and Pdaughter will curse you for keeping ALL of the things.

    No need to thank me for not being very helpful. Your love is thanks enough.

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  3. Save the fabric and the childhood keepsakes.

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  4. Clothes and fabric are the ones you should keep. The memories you really treasure will always be with you. They never can be thrown away, nor do they need to.

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  5. Make clothing in your size? Keep some of the keepsakes? I am also in purging mode, so perhaps not the person to ask...

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  6. If those are the choices, get rid of all.

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  7. Hey -- where are you? The odious jurist kicks the bucket in Texas and we haven't heard from you??

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  8. Lost everything material in Katrina. Ten years on, I still wish for my childhood teddy bear and my kickass 2nd grade lunchbox. Seldom do I remember the vintage clothes. I also determined never to keep anything unless it made me happy. Good thoughts and good luck as you start over. It can be tough.

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You're thinking it, you may as well type it. The only comments you'll regret are the ones you don't leave. Also, replies to threads make puppies grow big and strong.