I read/heard somewhere that people who end up being packrats are often very creative individuals. The reason they can't bear to throw something away is because they can always see some kind of potential second (or third or fourth) use for it.
I guess I'm a creative person because man, is it ever hard for me to get rid of silly, non-sentimental junk. I'm not talking about old t-shirts, papa-sans, or suitcases. I'm talking about stuff like maps and cardboard boxes. Read on for a run-down of Stuff I Should Throw Away but Can't for Irrational Reasons.
Item: A gigantic cardboard box from a microwave we bought almost four years ago.
Why I can't throw it away: I have a myriad of reasons for keeping this. Hear me out. The first place we lived in Tucson was too small to fit a crib, so Jeremy fitted out this microwave box for Miriam to sleep in. Then it was the receptacle for miscellaneous junk in the closet. Then I cleaned out all that junk, and I'm left with a big empty box. I know I can use it for something...but what? I just hate to get rid of a perfectly good huge cardboard box.
Item: A can of coconut milk.
Why I can't throw it away: I don't know how this got in our pantry, and it's been there for a few years, and is probably expired, and yet I still can't get rid of it. I just know that the second I do, I will come upon some amazing recipe that calls for a can of coconut milk, and then I'll regret it.
Item: A battery recharger.
Why I can't throw it away: I WISH I COULD. Believe me, I wish I could. We don't even have the rechargeable batteries that go with this charger anymore. But part of me thinks we might find those batteries someday, and then they'll be useless to us without the charger, so I better hang onto it...
Item: Lots and lots of Cottonelle Fresh Wipes containers.
Why I can't throw it away: Even the refill packs from Costco give you a new container or two every time, so I have a stash of these underneath the bathroom sink. All of them are empty. I keep thinking I'll find some use for them, but I never do. Any ideas?
Item: Various road maps, including Syria, Jordan, Germany (the map is in Czech and Slovak), St. Petersburg, Vienna, Moscow, etc.
Why I can't throw it away: It's not just a matter of keeping them for next time we go to those places, even though they may be useless by now because of road changes and such. It's a matter of possible political upheaval. Our map of Syria does not acknowledge the existence of territorial disputes in, say, Antakya or the Golan Heights. It's a very optimistic map. It draws its borders the way it wants them to be and makes no apologies for it. I don't think we could find another one like it anywhere. So I continue to keep it, and the other maps, that only get more politically incorrect and more out of date with each year that goes by. Sigh.
What are you holding onto for irrational reasons?
I guess I'm a creative person because man, is it ever hard for me to get rid of silly, non-sentimental junk. I'm not talking about old t-shirts, papa-sans, or suitcases. I'm talking about stuff like maps and cardboard boxes. Read on for a run-down of Stuff I Should Throw Away but Can't for Irrational Reasons.
Item: A gigantic cardboard box from a microwave we bought almost four years ago.
Why I can't throw it away: I have a myriad of reasons for keeping this. Hear me out. The first place we lived in Tucson was too small to fit a crib, so Jeremy fitted out this microwave box for Miriam to sleep in. Then it was the receptacle for miscellaneous junk in the closet. Then I cleaned out all that junk, and I'm left with a big empty box. I know I can use it for something...but what? I just hate to get rid of a perfectly good huge cardboard box.
Item: A can of coconut milk.
Why I can't throw it away: I don't know how this got in our pantry, and it's been there for a few years, and is probably expired, and yet I still can't get rid of it. I just know that the second I do, I will come upon some amazing recipe that calls for a can of coconut milk, and then I'll regret it.
Item: A battery recharger.
Why I can't throw it away: I WISH I COULD. Believe me, I wish I could. We don't even have the rechargeable batteries that go with this charger anymore. But part of me thinks we might find those batteries someday, and then they'll be useless to us without the charger, so I better hang onto it...
Item: Lots and lots of Cottonelle Fresh Wipes containers.
Why I can't throw it away: Even the refill packs from Costco give you a new container or two every time, so I have a stash of these underneath the bathroom sink. All of them are empty. I keep thinking I'll find some use for them, but I never do. Any ideas?
Item: Various road maps, including Syria, Jordan, Germany (the map is in Czech and Slovak), St. Petersburg, Vienna, Moscow, etc.
Why I can't throw it away: It's not just a matter of keeping them for next time we go to those places, even though they may be useless by now because of road changes and such. It's a matter of possible political upheaval. Our map of Syria does not acknowledge the existence of territorial disputes in, say, Antakya or the Golan Heights. It's a very optimistic map. It draws its borders the way it wants them to be and makes no apologies for it. I don't think we could find another one like it anywhere. So I continue to keep it, and the other maps, that only get more politically incorrect and more out of date with each year that goes by. Sigh.
What are you holding onto for irrational reasons?