The Things We Keep

If you've lived in one place for a long time and then moved, you know how easy it is to just accumulate...stuff.

Sometimes it's good, useful stuff. Other times, it's things that you probably should have thrown away years ago, but thought that maybe you'd have a use for it. Or, it could be something that you shared with someone or something that was once important in your life and now...isn't.

As I've been going through my things and deciding what to throw away, what to donate, and what to pack, I've found myself using those categories.

In my closet, I found formal dresses that I don't want to get rid of because they were custom-made (or I made them), and there could be an occasion where I'd wear them again. Thankfully, space-saving bags are a thing.

I also found a storage container that I thought only had playbills in it, but ended up also having paper editing copies of my novel Leila. It was a fun find, especially since I'm in the midst of editing my novel Awakening.

I don't know for sure if this is just a "black" thing or not, but I pulled a gift bag full of gift bags, tissue paper, and wrapping paper out of the closet as well - you never know when you need to wrap a gift!

I do know that having a bag of bags of braiding hair is a distinctly black girl thing.

And having busted old towels to use for wash day is a black girl thing, though I realized that I had some towels that hadn't seen the light of day since I moved into this apartment almost four years ago and maybe I should get rid of some of them.

If you needed further proof that I am a millennial, I found the boxes to almost every Apple product I've ever owned (and I love my Apple products, so you can only imagine). These I swiftly sent to the garbage.

In one of my drawers, I found one of two personal journals. I got caught up in them, flipping through and marveling at the odd jumble of Bible Study sessions, personal ramblings about my then-boyfriend, and programs from my grandmother's funeral and my sister's high school graduation.

That same drawer also hosted two pairs of elbow-high white gloves used for costumes, and several instruction/warranty booklets for everything from my TV to my cookware set.

In another drawer I found my nail kit; though not as extensive as the nail basket that my mom once had which held polishes and tools, it was enough to get me through the pandemic years when I couldn't go to the nail salon to have my acrylics redone regularly. I remember the painful period of them growing out, then trying to soak them off until finally I just had natural nails again. Then I started gathering materials, starting with press-ons and slowly graduating to tips and acrylics. Were they great? No. Could you tell while I was teaching and having book clubs virtually? Nope. And that's what mattered.

There are also things that I own that I didn't realize had been far upgraded. My big box of puzzles has gone untouched for months since I got rid of my dining table. I have a puzzle mat that someone bought for me during my freshman year of college, but it is made of felt and full of hair and dust and I don't feel comfortable putting it on things. So I looked up puzzle mats and found that not only are there far better ones on the market, but they're not expensive at all! I will be purchasing one in the near future.

My bookshelf hosted a few more interesting things. My voice books, containing solo sheet music from voice lessons, had been water-damaged when I still lived at home with my parents. I'd kept them, telling myself that I might need them. I haven't auditioned for anything since I moved from Mississippi and decided that it was time for them to go. Besides, I can always download something if I need it.

I also found the playbills, scripts, and show posters from productions that I either performed in or worked as crew on, and was once again drowning in nostalgia. Since these don't take up much space, I decided to keep them. I did, however, throw away my copy of the first musical where I had a leading role - it was just loosely bound paper, falling apart, and it didn't make sense to keep it.

And though I'd purged several textbooks the last time that I went through my bookshelf a few months ago, there were still a few left that I finally got rid of. I'd thought I'd use those books in my teaching career, but there was dust on them. So that shows you how often they were used.

There are still several more spaces in my house that I need to go through as I continue packing; the storage tub by my bed which holds several hair products/tools that I'm sure I don't use; the overabundance of mugs that my boyfriend teases me about (I'm a teacher, people always give me mugs); and I'm absolutely dreading going through my desk drawers to determine what is writing materials, what is important paperwork, and what is paper that I just shoved in the drawer to get out of my line of sight.

It's amazing the things that you'll find when you move, and it helps to remind yourself of what is really important in your life.

Who knows what I'll find this week?