Things You Should Throw Away But Can't

By Uloop Archives on August 2, 2013

It’s August a.k.a the month we bring our dust-piled storage boxes out of the closet/public storage places and start to shove much-needed things in containers to take to school.

If you’re like me, you’re already counting down the days and already packing. It can be exciting, scary, annoying, stressful, or all of the above. Packing isn’t always good. It signifies change. And change doesn’t always work in my favor.

Packing also means saying goodbye to laying on your butt and waving hello to being productive and efficient. It means getting rid of stuff you don’t need anymore and figuring out what to do with the things you won’t take. But what if you can’t discern between what to take, keep, or throw away? What if the objects sprawled out on your floor and hung on your walls mean so much to you that you can’t picture yourself letting them go?

Well, my friends, you’re not alone. Here are things some people cannot get themselves to throw away, some I should throw away but can’t, and things I have thrown away, but took the longest to do.

High School mementos that meant so much to you however many years ago. These are the things you should forget about because it would sound silly to want to re-live those days, but can’t because they symbolize the very few things that kept you sane back then. They’re the prizes you will always remember—the voice shouting, “YOU MADE IT!” as you stare at the ceiling thinking about your previous accomplishments and endeavors.

Tickets. Movie tickets, train tickets, theatre production tickets, plane tickets, Bulls tickets. A small piece of paper that documents a date and time you spent 2-6 hours at a given location. On that single sheet, memories come stumbling back. You can’t let go, and you won’t let go.

Naked Barbie’s. I don’t know about you, but I undressed my Barbie’s when I was younger (I was a strange kid). I still have a bin full of Barbie’s in my parent’s basement. I keep thinking I’m going to give them away to a little girl down the street or drop it off at Goodwill, but there’s this little voice inside me saying they’ll be worth something someday. With or without the clothes.

Old magazines. The teen-pop magazines I never stopped reading up until a few months ago that I cannot seem to let go of. Dust has piled on the issues as they sit cramped in compartments of my desk since the 6th grade. I didn’t want to let go of them because each issue is sort of a walk down Memory Lane. The Emma Watson cover makes me think of when Goblet of Fire came out. The cover of Adam Brody reminds me of The OC days. Sigh. Nonetheless, I threw them all out except the October 2008 COSMO GIRL with Mila Kunis (because it’s freaking Mila), and the June/July 2013 edition of TEEN VOGUE because Nicki Minaj was on the cover and I can’t think of the last time a black person was on the cover.

The Clique books by Lisi Harrison. Hopefully you remember these. I spent nearly two hundred dollars on the entire series in grade school. And for what, to fit in? But I can’t get rid of them because, well, they’re books! And they’re in such good condition. Sure, the storylines were amateur compared to what I read now and not as stimulating, but I sure as hell advanced in my reading abilities.

Comics. Won’t do it, can’t do it. They’re wonderful. They’re truly special. They define who you are and your love for superheroes and other fictional characters. Comic book stashes are good conversation starters too. If you’re going to get rid of them, at least try to re-sell them. You at least owe that to years of dedication.

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