There are so many wonderful things about coming home from college. Being able to see my family and friends has been wonderful. The hugs are certainly more abundant in this part of the country… and so is the free food.
When I came into my room at my mom’s house, I was greeted by a new bedroom set that she found on Craigslist. It is so nice, and I finally have a grown-up bed instead of the horrible futon bunkbed I insisted on getting in middle school. (Talk about uncomfortable!)
The first day, I felt so at home in the room, reveling in how adult my new furniture looked. And then I couldn’t stop staring at the tubs stacked in the corner. And I couldn’t find a place to put my luggage that wasn’t in the way.
And THEN, I opened the closet.
I was met with a floor to ceiling stack of a ton of stuff (almost all mine) that had been neatly stacked so that it would not take up room in the bedroom.
It was then that I realized that my mother was a saint. All this crap had been out of the closet before I left for school, in boxes under the bed, setting around the book shelf, stacked in a different corner, or even on the top bunk. She had neatly stacked everything in the closet out of the way to give my room a neat appearance when I came home.
But where was I going to put all of my clothes?
As I assessed the situation, I realized that I really needed to get rid of a lot of my stuff. I had survived half a year without all of it – so it needed to go. The past week (in addition to spending time with family and friends – and my wonderful boyfriend), I have been going through stuff.
I have found a few interesting things. My favorite was a beautiful card from my brother that I might just have to post when my computer stops being dumb. “Happy birthday,” it read “hugs and ckises – to (girl smiley face heart head) from (boy smiley face heart head)”. It was pretty much the best thing ever.
I have also found:
4 tubs of stuff to sell at a yard sale
3 bags of trash and recyclables
2 bags of clothes I don’t want anymore
AND
1 pile of clothes to mend and/or convert into aprons (now let’s see if I can just learn how to sew)
I have organized my bookshelf and realized that I am more willing to let go of five pairs of shoes than a single book.
I have read numerous cards from old friends and ex-boyfriends – even notes from people I don’t remember at all. Who knew that 22 was old enough to start forgetting people who were once important enough to send you a note? I guess it’s all downhill from here…
Above all, I have had a wonderful time reminiscing through a lifetime of accumulated items. I’m not finished yet, but I’m certainly enjoying the process.
