I might be a hoarder. Time to let it go.

​One of my favorite and least favorite parts of moving is getting rid of stuff. Since I graduated college 11 years ago, I’ve lived in 4 states, 10 apartments, and one boat, which means I’ve done my fair share of moving and all that comes along with it: sorting, packing, and apparently hoarding.
 
While I’m not quite TLC tv show status, I do have some kind of strange attachment to stuff that I will never need ever again. Clothes, mementos, random furniture, but most of all paperwork…I just can’t seem to get enough. If decade-old financial documents were worth their weight in gold I’d be a very rich woman. 
 
Now that I’m making another big move, onto another boat and away from friends’ apartments where I can store all my extra stuff, it’s time to downsize again. I’ve gotten rid of so many clothes (that’s gotten pretty easy for me; I use the “if you haven’t worn it in a year, donate it” model). I’ve sold everything of value except my computer, camera, and bike. And now I’m onto the final frontier – file boxes.
 
So far I’ve found bank statements, medical documents, random notes, playbills, and receipts from all the way back to 2005. And maybe that doesn’t seem like THAT far back, but considering I’ve lugged this stuff around for 10 years and haven’t looked at it once, it’s definitely "excess baggage" status.
 
The good news (there’s always a lesson or silver lining, right?) is that getting rid of it all is very therapeutic. And though it’s somewhat embarrassing / depressing to know that I’ve kept unnecessary junk so long, it’s such a good lesson for me in letting go. Because it’s not just documents I’m holding on to, by letting go I’m able to rid myself of all the extra stuff associated with my stuff.
 
And if I learned nothing else from Disney, at least I know to “let it go….”