what is the expiration date on a yearbook anyway?

so today . . . my yearbooks are sitting by the back door waiting to go into the recycle bin. they have been sitting there for several days now. today i finally put the junior high yearbooks in, but the others are still sitting there by the door. waiting.

i am going to get rid of them. i am. i can't remember the last time i looked at those books. they do not serve any purpose in my life. they take up most of a bookshelf that could be put to better use. i do not anticipate looking at them in the future. so i am going to get rid of them. really.

i've also bagged up the children's videos. it makes me sad, because we have some wonderful videos that diandra watched when she was little. but we don't even have a vhs player anymore. so the video tapes sit on the shelf collecting dust. i have thought about buying a machine that would let me record them onto dvds, but i'm not sure how cost effective that would be. and then rollie said that really, by the time we have grandchildren who might be interested in watching them, dvds might have gone the way of vhs tapes. so i guess i will give the videos to our preschool (they use them on rainy days or friday afternoons.) at least then some children will get to enjoy the stories--until their vhs player breaks . . .

i'm feeling a little melancholy tonight. it's late, and i am tired of dealing with all this stuff.

i don't know why it is so hard to let go of stuff. i guess i form sentimental attachments easily. sometimes i think about how much money i spent on something, and it seems like such a waste to get rid of it. sometimes i think i might need it again someday. sometimes i think about who gave it to me, and how they will feel if they find out it is gone.

but it is good to let go. letting go clears my mind and makes room for other things--not other tangible things--it would really be a waste of my time to do all this cleaning out only to fill the empty spaces up again. but it does make my mind feel clearer. it is easier to handle my life when there isn't quite so much to handle.

so the yearbooks are on their way out. so are the children's video tapes. and any luggage without wheels. and clothes that are too big or too small or that i have had for more than 5 years. i'm decluttering. ruthlessly. kind of . . .