Cleaning Out Clutter

As you may know, I recently graduated college and moved home. I found myself unpacking things that had been either at college or in boxes in our basement for the first time in three and a half years.

And I realized I had a lot more stuff than I thought.

This was most noticeable in my bookshelf. I unzipped my small suitcase (yes, I pack my books in a suitcase, don’t judge me) only to find I had no room on my bookshelf for them.

So I began the terrifying and slightly painful task of choosing which books to keep and which to get rid of.

Now, I’ve always been one of those people who hoards books. I love getting new ones and I hate giving away old ones. So this is a project that my mom tries to encourage me in every few years. And every time, I’d manage to part with five or six books. Unfortunately for me, I had at least fifteen books with me at college and and a full bookshelf with not enough room.

I eventually managed to weed out books I no longer read or need, as hard as it was. And it was a bigger stack than I thought it would be.

It might have been hard to let go of my precious books (even if they were ones I didn’t particularly like), but there was something satisfying about rearranging my bookshelf. I had the space to reorganize my books and now I have space for the new books I will inevitably buy in the future.

I cleaned out a lot of clutter after moving home. I got rid of old and empty notebooks (I hoard notebooks like a squirrel hoards nuts), CDs that have long since been uploaded to my computer, and clothes I don’t wear anymore.

It’s not easy, clearing out things that I’ve been used to having or have even become attached to. But it’s left me feeling refreshed, like I have room to grow, new opportunities to explore.

Until next time, word nerds!