purging

It's getting to be that time again at our house--time for getting rid of stuff. I purged more than I ever thought possible last summer in preparation to move across the country, but I find that we've accumulated still more stuff--so totally my responsibility. I've come to the conclusion that while men have very little need for stuff, most women seem to need and like stuff. Don't get me wrong--I'm not hoarding stuff like a crazy person, although I suspect this may actually be in my genes. I just seem to like to have my own stuff around me--stuff that I have collected over time because I like it and because it brings back memories. I've spent the last two days going through closets and trying to weed out things that are no longer needed. I'm not quite sure why it's hard for me to let go of some of these things. There's the yellow cardigan sweater that I love, even though I rarely wear it, perhaps just because of it's happy color. It has to stay. Some things I simply have to keep because I paid full price for that, thank you very much. Other things retain their spot in the closet because they were a killer bargain. I have a sweater from high school that I loved then and still love and simply can't part with. Please don't ask me to give it up yet; I'm just not ready to let it go. Why do I have 20 skirts, you ask. (I didn't really count them; there just seemed to be an awful lot.) I love them all, and I have worked hard on collecting them, darn it. I did put at least two in the to go pile, though. I couldn't bring myself to give up more. I've come to the conclusion that with most things, if I haven't worn them in the past year, it is time for them to go to the land of donation-dom. As it turns out, once they make it into that pile, they are there to stay. I don't take them back. It's just difficult to get them there. I find that I have to go through the closet several times over a period of a few days to cull things out. If I can't part with it this go around, maybe next time will be the charm. I will admit that it is nice to have some empty hangers. Empty hangers...you know what that means...