Hoarding

Stuff. If anyone is the Queen of "Stuff" it's my mom. So, that would make me the Princess of Stuff. And that becomes terribly apperant when I'm moving or having to clean out my room. My parents are redoing our basement and I've had to go back there and clean out my room, and I realize how rediculously much stuff I have.
Looking back at pictures of my mom, in high school and my age, I really wish she would've saved all her clothes for me. So, thinking for future generations, I want to save some of my clothes, but for now, what am I supposed to do with those huge soled shoes, and big legged Lucky jeans?
After going through clothes, I then started on boxes and boxes of memorablilia. I found stuff that I loved to look at. Tons of pictures, including all my dance pictures from high school. I found books I had been looking for, and I'd saved notebooks from school, that were so funny to look through. All my doodles in there and my obsession with hand writing was very evident, and it was so much fun remembering how it was to be a high shcool girl. But, do I need to save all my notes from every class I've ever taken to reminisce about it? I decided no. I was really proud of myself. I threw away (well, recycled) so many notes, and so much knowledge that hopefully is bouncing around in my head somewhere.
Then there's the letters. I am so lucky to have so many people who love me and remember my birthday and who wrote me while I was on my mission and who sent me letters. There was nothing better than getting a letter, and I still religiously check the mail box just out of habbit. But what do I do with all of them? I sat for hours looking through them all and reading most of them, feeling the love, then throwing most into the recycling bag. It was really hard to do, but it had to be done. I can't be carting around reams of paper every time I move. So, to all those of you who sent me wedding announcements, that I had been saving ... I'm sorry to tell you, but they are in the garbage. That being said, don't not send me announcements, letters and birthday cards, just know that I most likely won't be showing them to my grandkids.
It's been a walk down memory lane, and it was great, but I'm really going to try to not be such a hoarder. That will be my Chinese New Year's resolution.