To keep or not to keep

To keep or not too keep ... that is the question I've been asking myself constantly these last few days. How many times have I said to myself in the past, "Let me hold on to this. It may come in handy some day"? And yes it may, but it also may not. And given the number of times I choose to hold on to something, probability says that I will not use most of what I save. Except when it comes to letters from friends or other sentimental objects. These items represent memories of bygone times, perhaps of a dear friend, or even a different self. As I was sifting through one of my letter boxes today, I found comics drawn by a friend of mine who passed away a couple of years ago from leukemia. All of a sudden, I was in fourth grade, sitting next to Ann Metz in our social studies class, covertly folding a note to slip in her desk. We had pseudonyms when addressing our missives--she was the "Ark," and I was the "Dove." Would I have had that precious moment of remembrance, had I not saved her letters? Life goes by too fast as it is--one barely has time to process the events of any given day, let alone periods of one's life in retrospect.

A little life pruning has its benefits. Discard the clothes, shoes, bags, and humidifier. (I can get a fondue pot again in California if I really need it.) Hold on to and revisit the memories. They will remind you where you have come from. Without remembering the joys, trials, and tribulations on a journey, how can one learn or take pleasure from the experience?