Lately, I've been getting extremely sleepy and tired starting from 4:00pm until 7:30pm --- and then wide awake when it's time for me to sleep. Feels like I'm running on Asia time or something.
Point in case, it's almost 1AM and I know I will suffer for it tomorrow morning when my alarm rings.... but here I am blogging away.
Am cleaning up my condo today and tossing stuff out, I realize, I have a LOT of junk. And I'm also more a packrat than I think I am. In fact, I'm all talk about being able to pack a bag and go. I have an entire box of old letters and odd mementos I received from various eras of my life, some of them from people I don't even talk to anymore. And I still can't bring myself to throw them away...
I'm still kicking myself for having tossed out the first diary I've written (when I was 9, my aunt Jo gave it to me right before I left for Canada and so it chronicled my first couple of years in Canada). It was tossed away in a teenage angst moment when I tried to pretend I can live without frivolities such as diaries, especially ones that contain evidence of my childishness. Yeah, teenagers are dumb and I hate them too.
I've still kept letters from high school, memos and cards from back then, the more prolific contributors even have their own envelopes. I think I can find birthday cards from as far back as elementary school? Not sure though, ever since that one time I had thought seriously about tossing the cards away, I don't remember if in fact I did or not. It was right after I heard about how people usually throw away birthday and Christmas cards, and that completely baffled me. Prior to that it was inconceivable to me that these things would be thrown away - I always thought they are meant to be kept, to commemorate that particular event. In my mind, people all have a box of these things either with them or in their parents' basement or attic. I just assumed that my parents don't have that because they don't do letters and cards and besides, were forced to part with them when they emigrated.
Now I throw some Christmas cards away, but still, most of the cards I receive... I still keep around. I don't know, am I crazy?
Nope, not crazy. You are sentimental. When I moved out, I was forced to go through my things, and I've also kept memorabilia from grade school and letters/cards from people that are no longer a part of my life (a lot of these things moved cities/countries with me)! It was easier than I thought to toss stuff I knew wouldn't have any meaning to me anymore. And the stuff I ended up moving with me will be with me for the rest of my life.
ReplyDeleteTossing out old things makes you feel good and shows you how you select your memories. You know how older people have those handful of items they tell stories about? Will you be able to tell a story about that birthday card you received at the age of 9 from some kid in your class named Mike? Hmmmm...
Haha I think I'm the same, I have my birthday cards and x-mas cards in a pile (current year) on my desk and in a box (previous years). I also realize that I am much more of a packrat than I ever thought, but i think it's my way of rebelling against my mother's horrible nature of throwing EVERYTHING out.
ReplyDeleteThere were days when I came home from school to find garbage bags at the door and say "oh is today garbage da...OMG THESE ARE MY THINGS!!!"
And when I went away for school, i thought leaving stuff at home with the parents from my childhood was okay...WRONG. My mom threw out all my report cards (90% of which the teacher had said I talk too much ha ha ha), my old school class pictures, my facking taekwondo unifrom and black belt + certificate that I got my damn 2nd degree black belt!! How can she just throw that away?!?!?! Not to mention so many other things from my life. And yet who's stuff does she keep? Oh just Silvia's...the favoured child.
Grrrr.