Going through things

One of my struggles is with "stuff".

All my life I've held on to things. Class assignments, photos, articles, knickknacks, boxes of items that I might need. I'm slowly realizing why I've done it. Growing up with little extra money meant using everything until it wore out. You didn't just throw something out or give it away if there was still some life left in it.

Every house/apartment I've ever lived in has had boxes in it. My last apartment had a second bedroom that I began referring to as The Black Hole. Things went in and I never saw them again. I've downsized my living quarters - now have a one bedroom apartment with a tiny kitchen and not much in the way of closets. There is no extra space. But still, the boxes are sitting behind me. (Literally at the moment.)

Today, I took some files out to the balcony to sort through them. The very first, rather thick, file I opened was immediately shuffled to the bottom of the pile. I did get through four files of various things and kept just a few items.

The shuffled file? Holds newspaper clippings, magazine articles and photos of Terry Fox. Back in the early 80's, he was attempting something amazing. (If you aren't familiar with him, search on either his name or Marathon of Hope.) He wasn't that much older than I was and that was one of the reasons he caught my attention. Since then, he's become my personal hero - a reminder to keep trying in the face of adversity.

Today wasn't the day I could go through that file. It may get shuffled a few more times but hopefully, I'll be able to get through it and let most of it go.