It's a sickness I tell you

I need help. Professional help. I need this book.

I have a terrible tendency to hold on to things, random things, forever. I carry around the same stuff that I've had since I was in high school from home to home. I have a binder full of notes that Lanie and I used to write in high school. I have trinkets that aren't even cute, but I hold on to because I'm sentimental. My mistake is placing an emotional attachment on everything. Its makes it near impossible to part with.

I have gotten better over the years. Lanie introduced me to something we like to call "Goosamano Syndrome" and it has helped me get rid of a lot of clutter that has been following me around my whole life. But after moving into the Jungle House, I realize that there are tons of boxes full of stuff that haven't even been opened or sorted through for quite some time. How much time exactly? Well, there are some boxes that got moved from my apartment on Elden to my old house in 2007 and then moved from there to my new place a few weeks ago. They hadn't been opened during that whole time. That's 2 years. Two whole years of never even getting around to go through them and see whats inside. It gets better. I came across a box the other day that had my graduation cap and theater awards in it. That box would be from my first apartment. Back when I was 21. I'm 33 now. I'm cringing.

But here is my revelation. I don't have to have a coronary thinking about having to chuck the whole lot. I can keep some of the stuff that has real sentimental value (like my grad cap and notes from Lanie-ah to read what we thought were big problems back then) but I have to get rid of the other stuff. The plastic bag that has scraps of paper in it because I might use it one day...that has to go. The 17 bath sets I have gotten over the years, I need to move on. You know the things I'm talking about right? They have 5 bottles of fruity bubble bath, sponges etc. Problem is, I don't do baths. I'm a shower girl. I have no use for the gift sets. They are lovely to look and smell delicious. Someone spent time picking them out, money on them. I couldn't just get rid of them. Maybe one day I will get around to using them. Maybe one day I will feel the urge to take a bath. But then again, that's what I said years ago when I decided to hold on to them. If you're a bath person, hit me up. I can hook you up so you will smell like vanilla fields and grapefruit wonder.

This is a great article that has me pegged big time. oooh, you're good Real Simple Magazine!

I have a huge project in front of me. The Cubs room is full of boxes and I need to go through them soon. I can't hold onto everything because there is just no room for it. I need to be strong. I need to purge. I need to kick some pack rat ass.