Memories Are More Then The Things

The one downfall I have with the "stuff" in my life is that I seem to collect a lot of it; not unlike many people I know. I particularly noticed this from my recent travels abroad. I had saved every ticket, every brochure, every program of every event and once I got home I had no idea what to do with it all.

Thats when I started to realize that the memories are not in the things, and sometimes they`re not worth keeping and cluttering up your space with. Don`t get me wrong, I still have a shoebox full of the more important mementoes of my travels, but not everything is worth keeping. For example do I need every single t-shirt that I picked over my university career... probably not.

So I guess the point to this post is that i`ve learned that just because you let go of a few things doesn`t mean the memories are gone.

My organizational tips to getting rid of "momentous" pieces are as follows:

(1) Make them electronic. Scanning or photographing helps clear up space, but still gives you a smaller piece of something to look back on.

(2) Limit yourself. Maybe save 1 thing from each special occasion. Do you really need 3 programs, 5 tickets and your robe from your graduation day? Think about it...

(3) Think about what your kids or grandkids will want to see. Things are saved to help stimulate and bring back memories of a certain event. Think about it in the context of what your kids or grandkids will want to see in the future. Will they get the significance of a ratty old t-shirt with your sororities name on it? Probably not...

I hope some of these tips can help you clear some room in your closet to bring in new memories.