Writers' Corner: Keep, toss and release
I decided to take advantage of a couple days off and sort through some of the boxes and totes of accumulated “stuff” occupying my spare room. I live with cats, all of which are notorious bandits and slight-of-hand mischief-makers. I put everything in boxes and totes in the spare room for safety and preservation.
The problem with this arrangement is simple. Over time, objects, papers and whatnots in boxes have a way of becoming lost or forgotten. Those corrugated cubes, stacked ever-so-neatly like new Jenga blocks, morph themselves into quasi time capsules. As life events, school years, holidays and adventures unfold new totes of souvenirs or mementos are added to the stack. One stack becomes two becomes 10. My spare room had no more room to stack totes.
The door opened easily; its hinges well oiled and the knob aligned perfectly. I stood in the doorway for a couple minutes and took stock of my stacks. Those closest to the door contained the most recent additions. They are brimming with art supplies, fabric, patterns and books — so many books. I have several bookcases scattered around my house. There’re books enough for several more.
Because my goal was an attempt at organization, I separated the boxes into three piles: "Keep, Toss and Release." I put some of the art supplies into my "Release" box because I knew I would never use them. The same was true about a several of the books and a whole stack of the fabric. I felt accomplished and trudged on.
Progressing deeper into the spare room, the boxes and totes revealed long forgotten treasure. I found my son’s high school music festival medals and report cards from as far back as kindergarten. There were art projects, wonderful stories and science reports, too. I set a few of his art pieces aside to be framed. They are so cool. I also unearthed a tote containing only photographs. I wouldn’t be far off if I claimed there were a thousand; all stuffed in their personal envelopes or neatly placed inside bound albums. Most of this stack belonged in the ‘Keep’ pile, of course.
I did find several boxes that appeared to have been emergency cleaning expeditions from years past. These contained the odds and ends of life: loose Uno or Pokémon cards, plastic animals with teeth marks, mini cars and bouncy balls, among other things. Much of this collection was bound for either the "Toss" or "Release" piles, but I held onto the Pokémon cards for my nephew. He loves that game.
It took a bit of time to delve into that no-man’s land called the spare room, but I feel good about my progress. My goal is to eliminate some of the excess stuff in my life and the stress that accompanies it. I reduced my collection of boxes by three and donated some nice things to Good Will, including warm coats left over from when my kiddos were young. I still have a long way to go, but any progress is good!
Tip: Take a trip down memory lane. You’ll be happily surprised by the stories that come from those memories.
Bio: Christine Cox lives and works in SW Michigan. Always driven to be creative, she is notorious for having many projects going at the same time. Yes, she does manage to get them done! She can be contacted at christine.cox37@yahoo.com.
— The Sturgis Writers’ Mill exists to create a community of writers who constructively encourage, support, and challenge each other as they discover their unique voices. Any opinion expressed is solely that of the author.
This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: Writers' Corner: Keep, toss and release
