"Stuff"

I have decided moving is the worst household chore known to man. It's not the physical lifting of boxes and moving them back and forth that's hard. It is the emotional wear and tear of deciding what to move and what to finally let go of or throw away. To some, I know it is not hard task. Mike for instance, has no problem throwing "stuff" away. The other day, I noticed a pile of perfectly good t-shirts on the garage floor left for rags or worse for the trash can. Besides the fact they were in good shape, memories are attached to those perfectly good t-shirts. (Memories with me, I might add!) So how does he do it?

I am a pack rat, tried and true! I don't mean to be, and I really don't want to be, but I am! My father is a pack rat as well, so I guess it could be an inherited gene. Whatever the case, I am a certified pack rat. Needless to say, moving is a daunting task. I look at something, it could be a piece of clothing, a piece of furniture or worse, a piece of paper, and if it causes me to remember something the struggle begins. Can I really give this away or throw it away? People who have little understanding of my weakness, tell me to take pictures of the "stuff". I understand when they look at my "stuff" that's what they see, just "stuff". But to me I see memories. Sometimes, some the most wonderful moments in my life are represented in the "stuff". Taking a picture is a great idea, but tell me, what if you need it again? You see this is a haunting question that torments the pack rat. Someone might have a project or a costume party or a need to recall a memory that only the "stuff" might ignite. It truly is a type of ball and chain in the mind of the pack rat.

So, I will go back to packing and moving and the struggle it represents. I will try to remember when I am gone, my loved ones will have to sort through the "stuff". I will do my best, on their behalf, to throw it away or give it away. However, I might as well ask for forgiveness now because my name is Carol and I am a Pack Rat!