61 Comments

I feel this. Probably the biggest one for me would be guitars and drums from when I used to perform in bands. I have long since given up that persona and much prefer being a music listener these days…but still all those old instruments hang around in closets and without much use aside from being decorative 😂

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Oooh that would be a difficult one to let go of. Regardless of whether you're in it anymore, you've probably got a LOT of memories attached to those.

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This thread of comments was just as entertaining as the post! I'm a minimalist through and through but I do have my precious (but condensed) paper trail of handwritten letters, postcards and drawings. My mother on the other hand collects everything: Malaysian spears, oil and vinegar cruets, inkwells, taxidermy, Blue Willow, Beswick horses, Japanese screens, carved birds, stamps, sepia prints of cattle, depression glass, milk glass, century-old textbooks, horse collars and stanchions...(I could go on).

The one thing I can't seem to part with is my silly ol' Helly Hansen hooded fleece. It's 14 years old and has invisible passport stamps all over it. Much like your bag that "soaked up at least a decade’s worth of foreign dirt, air, alcohol, critters, and sand particles into its fibres." My wife has sewn elbow patches on it twice (who wears out polar fleece elbows??) and I now have to take it off superhero style as the zipper tab is long gone. There are burn holes from bonfire sparks and the ribbing around the wrists have almost become separate bracelets. The hood has even faded into a different colour from the actual body of it from 18,000 hours of wear. I have a new Patagonia fleece but it's just not the same. I hear ya.

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First of all, are we siblings because I think we have the same mother! 🤣

Second, bonfire burn holes is impressive. I applaud your dedication to the hoodie! That just gives it so much more character and keep-worthiness!

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Well, stranger things have happened, right? Did your mother also tell you that eating raw spaghetti noodles would give you worms? Thank you for your applause. I will continue on as a Helly Hansen raggamuffin. You'll appreciate that the elbow patches are from a Billabong canvas bag that I bought at a yard sale for $5 from a woman who had purchased the bag in Australia (so she valued the bag at $5,000). Everything lives on here from an old waterski that I painted to look like a Monarch caterpillar to a skateboard that my wife flipped into a birdhouse. Keep-worthiness is always at the forefront!

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My house is a big dumpster. I want to get rid of things, my husband wants to keep them. After forty years of throwing a few things behind his back (resulting in fights), I have given up. My kids will have to hire a much bigger skip once we depart from this world.

The thing I can't bring myself to throw away is my notebooks, travel brochures, books and stationery.

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I find it intriguing how couples who have such huge fundamental differences can still stay together. I mean, living space is one of the most important things we have. I'm not sure I could concede, I'd need my space tidy and organized!

And yes, all things travel are so difficult to let go of!

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The couples with opposing view still can live together because to them people matter more than things. I have certain spaces in the house which I keep tidy. My husband has his space where he can create as much mess as he likes.

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Converting your suitcases and all their memories and history in furniture is cool! My toddler now uses blue suitcase I used to use when I traveled the 🌎 for my corporate. Whenever I see him using it it reminds me of my days traveling the world and that one day my boy will do the same. But maybe traveling to Mars, the moon and whatever and sending me postcards.

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Aww that's cute you're passing luggage to the next generation 😊 Great memories for you!

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Backpacks! I just replaced my big one and my small one, but I can't bear to part with either.

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Totally understand! Especially if they've been travel backpacks!

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Yes! Every one of them....

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When our children became adults and left home many years ago, we were left with more spaces to keep things. Our things spread out and filled the spaces. I have a Lionel train set that I received when I was ten years old. I have Golden Book titles such as "Five Little Firemen," "Tootle," and "Scuffy the Tugboat." Good reading in mu dotage, I suppose. Oh yeah, there's my high school Student Council pin. I'm going to let my heirs toss the stuff.

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Hahaha wow those things go way back, huh? That's amazing you still have them. Is that why your publication is called Ed's Attic? 😁

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Something like that. Actually a metaphor for my mind. All of the memories associated with those things are up there.

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I so get it. As long as whatever it is adds to your enjoyment of your life and your environment and it doesn't smell bad or create a fall risk, I say it stays. Even if it is a bag of beads from a broken bracelet (I have a bag like that too). Just make clear for the sake of those who might have to take care of your stuff once you've moved on from the planet that you're totally fine with all of it ending up being carted off to a thrift shop or whoever will take it. I plan to leave my kids a little money, some (digitized) photos & writing, and a number for a local junk hauler. There's a time to travel light :-)

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I suppose when I'm gone it won't matter what happens with all my stuff. I've often wondered who will care now that Curtis is gone lol.

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I hear you. Already my sons don't want me to give them any more "heirloom" stuff.

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Bahahaa! For some reason I can picture ANY grown son saying that to their mom 😁 Mine would have!

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Well, they got a LOT of their dad's stuff after he died and I downsized (twice). They'd have been perfectly fine with ME keeping it forever LOL

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😂😂

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I am pretty good at letting go of tho ha but I don’t think I could part with those very special jeans. Maybe you could buy one of those huge box frame thongs and turn them into art! That would be awesome.

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Hmmmm now there's an idea! I have a friend who did that with a souvenir towel she bought on a vacation once. It looks great!

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Show tickets! haha most concert and show tix are digital now but I still print them out (just in case!!) and they all end up in a box. I still have tickets and programs from plays that I saw 15 years ago.

That and my mom's white ceramic dishes. They're not in my taste and they're just in a box but I can't convince myself to get rid of them because they're what we used for all of our growing-up years. I might not have my momma but I can sure as hell have her dishes. <3

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Ahh concert tickets! That's a really good one! What was your very first concert??

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Such an interesting topic. I do not share this syndrome with you, Kristi, but I understand it well. Two members of my family keep everything and have done their whole lives. I am just the opposite. I don't throw things away, but I keep things spare around here by recycling, donating to charity shops, selling on eBay and giving things to people who want them. My travel memories have never been caught in things, but they are certainly vivid in my head. That being said, when my mother died, the only thing I kept was the old ragged red sweater that she loved. I keep it hanging on the door and sometimes put it on for comfort. She is still in that old thing. You might like this funny story about cleaning out - https://sharronbassano.substack.com/p/out-of-the-closet

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Oh I'm definitely going to go read that now.

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This was great. Everyone can relate. I’m good at spring cleaning hubby not so much. And we’ve had to move a lot over the years. I finally convinced him to get rid of at least half of his yellowed fraying sci fi paperbacks. He had boxes of them. And don’t get me started on his t shirt collection. Every 14 year old’s dream. He makes video games so lots of swag. I’m no angle either. You know how I feel about my sweatpants. I’ll stop here.

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Hahaha the sweatpants will always be the last to go!

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I was once told my house looked like a grandmother's house. There's a good reason for that. So much came from her house, a house I loved.

I struggle with letting go everyday.

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Yup. It's not easy! Maybe it's best to never let go and let someone else deal with it after we're gone 😊

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My home is full of my mom's 'stuff', furniture and artwork that I couldn't let go of. Not because I like it, but because I felt guilty about just getting rid of the things she loved. Over time they've grown on me and I do love that they remind me of her and some of the stories she told me about some of the pieces. It's all good.

I can see why you would want to hang on to that luggage. If they could talk....

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I feel you Heather. Letting go of stuff from departed loved ones is a whole different ball game. I don't think I'll ever let go of my late son's belongings. I haven't lost my mom yet so I don't know how I'll feel when the time comes. But I do know she has a ton of stuff I would never, ever use.

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I love the suitcase furniture!

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Isn't it awesome? So creative!

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After my parents died and we condensed all their things we wanted to save, it all boiled down to 1 box. You know what? I don’t even know what’s in that box today - more than 7 years later. It is just ‘stuff’. We then downsized a house and stuff from almost 25 years of marriage to move to Costa Rica. It was hard, but I realized again it’s just ‘stuff’. It’s freeing if and when you can do it. Now that we’re back in the U.S., I do find myself not wanting much stuff. Good luck to all!

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Stuff. Yes. "The fetters of material existence." As I age I find none of it is integral... it's all just incidental, and am compelled to let it go.

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Sharron, you are so right about how carry-on contents really dictate all you need. Admittedly, after walking the Camino Frances for 35 days I was happy to see and wear my jeans again but it was freeing just having two of everything. And when you are carrying it all on your back, it's amazing how easy the decision making process becomes!

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Congratulations on walking the Camino. It was traveling that showed me how little we actually need in the way of clothing. The older I get, the more empty the closet. How many pairs of shoes does one person need?

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Oh, well, shoes are a different story, Sharron. A LOT. I go through so many in a year---and I keep most of them moving to a thrift store because they still look new, though they've already seen 500+km of running or walking.

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Of course you're sooo right, it's just stuff but yeah, it's still difficult. It's pretty interesting to learn what we don't have to live with though. I house-sat for a year and put all my stuff into storage. The only thing I ever went to the storage unit for was my file cabinet (important papers).

I currently have nothing weighing me down except my late son's belongings. I don't think I'll ever give any of it away no matter how dusty those boxes get. I don't have to know what's inside, but I know it has to stay with me until I'm dead and someone else can do the letting go lol.

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Funny, though, Kristi. Have you ever traveled around the world for WEEKS with only one carry-on suitcase? It really tells us exactly how much we really need, I think.

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Mar 5
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Jean, that's funny. The first time I went camping (high school days) I borrowed my dad's hockey bag and filled it to the brim--for a three-day trip. I thought the overpowering A-535 liniment whiff was going to be the overwhelming force but it ended up being my sleeping bag which our cat had clearly pissed on at some point. I am now 100% carry-on only!

I just wrote a post about wayward baggage at the Addis Ababa airport. A flagged bag containing a silly can of Quebec maple syrup changed the packing habits of my wife and I forever!

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Makes sense! I’m sorry for your loss. Yes of course that’s a ‘save’ thing!

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I have trouble letting go of tools and bits of wood leftover from projects. And I do end up using them sometimes. But mostly all that junk clutters up the walking space

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Lol bits of wood made me smile 😁 It's just wood. However, I have a 20-year-old bottle of sand from a beach so who am I to talk?

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Sure it’s just 3 inches of 1x4. But what if that’s the exact piece I need to fix that broken shelf/cupboard for the wife or something? Planning for future needs. Who wants to drive all the way to town to get a board lol.

Or, I’ll never need that 3” chunk of wood. Who knows

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Believe me, your reasoning makes sense!!

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