Friday, 26 September 2008

• Confessions of a reformed Packrat

  After reading the toy purging blog it reminded me of my former packrat days.

  Prior to my divorce I had lived in the same home for almost twelve years. You would be amazed at what you can accumulate in twelve years. I remember going out to our back shed to clean out things prior to the move and discovering notes from people I knew in the seventh grade. Sadly, I am serious. Why on earth would I think that I should keep those things for more than ten years I will never know. I ended up throwing away or selling anything that would not fit in my van. Between the three kids, the photo albums I wouldn't part with upon threat of death, their favorite toys, and our clothes, there was not much left for sentimentality. It was quite hard, I felt like I was leaving a part of me behind, but in hindsight it was the best thing I could have done.

  Hubby and I became quite the minimalist following our respective divorces. It almost seems like purging the marriage meant purging yourself of the material possessions that came with it. When we first moved into together we had one bed, one couch, a television, and two computers. It was a mad scramble to get beds for the kids, but thanks to resourceful family, they all had one within a week.What a difference six years makes.

  When we had to move back in February it took a large moving van and several trips in the SUV to get us all moved. Far cry from that first move that held all my worldly possessions in the van. Now as we gear up for move number two in less than a year, I am seriously scoping out things that simply do not need to take up space in the moving van.

  Unfortunately, hubby and I have differing opinions on what is "needed" and what is junk. I say that a digital camera he received as a free gift from AOL in 1998 is junk, he says we might "need" it. I say, sure, if every store in the land suddenly goes out of business and our two digital cameras break at the exact same time...yeah, we might need that one. He says that tech books from 1987 are an absolute must, I say that whatever they were for (which he cannot remember) has certainly expanded beyond those books and they should hit the recycle bin. He says that he needs those two full closets full of only his clothes, I say you wear the same three shirts no matter what and my closet is full of not only my clothes, but C and E's and I still have room left over.

  I of course say that every handmade Mother's Day card is gold, he says I can't even remember which child did it and to let it go. I also say that yes, I have a thousand pictures of all the children from when they were infants that I realize will never see the light of day, but I can't bear the thought of throwing them out. He says they would make great bonfire material. In his defense, our walls are covered with pictures of all the children, the ones that are in boxes are simply duplicates or not so great ones, but they are my babies.

  We have one entire closet full of I have no clue what. Each time I decide to tackle that closet, I make it through one container and become so frustrated with the "no, not that..." from both of us that I simply close them back up and pray for strength.

  Okay, maybe I am not quite reformed, but I am definitely in recovery. I think I will go throw some things away from one of his boxes....shhhh.

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