So Much Stuff

I'm moving soon and I didn't realize how much stuff I had until I started weeding through it. I'm not a hoarder or anything, but I found tons of paper, printed copies of manuscripts I'd edited by hand in various three-ring binders. Just when I thought I'd shredded my last piece of paper, I found more paper in need of shredding. When you live in an apartment (an older apartment that's not particularly spacious), you don't have the luxury of keeping a lot of things. When I lived in a house, I could keep many, many books. But now, I have to be frugal about which books to keep and which books to toss. I feel bad when I have to throw a book out, particularly a book I liked, but didn't necessarily love, but it must be done. I can't live under tons of stuff. Some people can, but I can't. I need to feel like the space I live in isn't claustrophobic. I need open spaces that aren't filled with clutter.

I have an aunt who lives alone in a three-bedroom, two-bath house and, I swear, she seems to fill ever corner of that house (and the basement) with stuff. Just when you think she can't fit more stuff into her house, she does! She's constantly on the prowl for another DVD, another kitchen gadget, another something. I don't know how she can stand it.