Nothing you can't walk away from in 30 seconds, baby

I've started thinking about moving out of my parent's house. It's going on 5 months now since I graduated and moved back in with them. As you can imagine, there have been some times when we haven't seen eye-to-eye in our expectations of this old/new living arrangement. But, with the idea of moving comes the issue: cleaning everything out.

We've been in this house since I was in high school, and while I wouldn't call myself a hoarder by any means, quite a bit of stuff has managed to claim a place in my little corner of the downstairs. Most of it has some sort of sentimental hold on me, making an essentially worthless item one that I can't seem to get rid of. Like the plastic spurs that I won for placing first in a horsebackriding competition. Or the Cinderella figurine that a friend gave me in junior high (since Cinderella is, of course, my Disney princess counterpart). Or any and all of my cd's, since let's face it, their value really is ephemeral at this point.

Worst of all, though, is the books. I've been an avid- indeed, almost atavistic- book collector as long as I can remember. I never spent too much money as a kid, except on books. Such a weakness. If we're ever near a Barnes & Noble, just watch me for the signs of an addict. Hands will shake. Eyes will roll. Ok, maybe not really, but books will be purchased.

And of course, these bulky, heavy, (dare I say outdated?!) tomes of delight really must be the first to go, for two reasons: one, I have far too many. They more than fill the four and a half bookshelves I have in my room, spilling over in rows along the walls and stacks between furniture. Second, they are unwieldy and impractical. I know I cannot take them with me when I go, and I know I cannot expect my parents to lug them around after I'm gone. Hence begins the Great Book Purge of 2011.

I joke, but I am finding it actually pretty difficult to convince myself to get rid of this stuff that I've just had around for so long. But I do think there's something to be said for simplicity, restraint, and even minimalism. My friend Richard says that you should never love any thing so much that it hurts you to lose it. So I'm going to start cleaning out this stuff; here's hoping it has a good effect on me mentally, too.

rkb