The purge of nostalgia: clearing out the parents’ attic.
There will come a time in your life where you are faced with something like this and I question whether or not you will feel a bit of sadness, even though you know it has to happen.
Like most people, I managed to accumulate a bunch of what is essentially nostalgic garbage such as 20+ years of not-so-heartfelt messages from uncles and aunts and grandparents on birthday cards year after year. I felt compelled to keep most of this stuff and I am not really certain why.
I even had a massive treasure trove of notes that I passed by hand between classes to my writing buddies in the hallways when I was in 7th and 8th grade. I can’t believe I still have this stuff to be honest with you. Today I threw a vast majority of that stuff in the trash and to be honest, I feel a little bit bad about it.
some of these had incredibly complicated folding processes
Here’s the thing though: Should I be expected to keep this stuff endlessly? When we were clearing out the attic of my parents’ house we were finding things of my mom’s that she had held on to for 40 years like dresses that she wore in someone else’s wedding when she was 10. I saw it and was kind of feeling the same thing that she was of “why the hell do we hang on to this stuff?”
I would like to also believe that there will one day be a museum dedicated to my memory and these relics will be invaluable. However, I think that most of us need to face the very harsh reality that the likelihood of that ever happening is pretty slim. I would imagine that if anyone were to stumble on my box of messages sent back and forth during middle school would quickly become boring as there is very little in the way of actual meaningful information in there. I suppose it is kind of an example of the time-period because I guess this was the precursor to text messaging.
I guess it is a piece of history but one that I am ready to let go of. I think that all of us are guilty of hanging on to too much stuff but for me anyway I feel a tinge of guilt when I do throw out stuff from the past – just not bad enough to stockpile all of it. When I was looking through all the birthday cards I saved a few of the ones that my parents gave me when I was too young to be capable of reading them. The words from my mother are so heartfelt and sweet and it just seems so awesome because she knew I couldn’t read them as I was only 2 or 3 years old. Those ones are worth hanging onto but the lion’s share of them are from distant relatives or neighbors that I don’t even recall. Those can go. All the one’s that spelled my name wrong go straight to the bin…
I had to hang on to this one because it shows the least amount of effort and care ever put into a card and I sincerely wish I knew who it was from so I could return the favor. This might be my favorite birthday card ever.
there's nothing inside the card either
It was likely a classmate who was forced to do this by the teacher, spent the entire class screwing around and ran out of time. I am quite certain I was one of those kids so me and whoever made this card probably have a lot in common.
So why am I writing this? I think because of the fact that I feel a little bit bad for throwing out this stuff. It is a piece of my life afterall, but I think that I managed to accumulate too much clutter in my life and some of it has to go. I hope I don't end up regretting this later in life.
Oh wow, I would have never remembered folding notes that way if I hadn't seen this. Passing notes in he hallway was huge back in the day.
I am crazy nostalgic when it comes to my childhood. Mostly because hardly anything remains because we were always moving and losing stuff. My step-dad split up with my mom when I was 10 and she had a mental breakdown. He stuck all of our stuff in storage while she went to the hospital and didn't pay for it so they auctioned it all of.
I would give anything to have that a box of notes like that. Only because I can't remember much. Just reading through one line of a note would bring me back to that moment and all the surrounding things that were happening.
But perhaps this kind of thing isn't health, who knows. It is, in fact, true that the only moment is now and ultimately it creates a kind of misery reliving the past.
i didn't read all the notes because most of it was about nothing at all. it was funny, but it is already in the trash on the way to the dump. I was feeling worse about occupying space in my parents' house since I don't have a place of my own. Maybe some day I'll get a storage unit and start pack-ratting again.
I think that behavior is natural of an era, of a generation. Unconsciously, we cling to things in a way to stop time, to cling to people. Seeing them is a way to bring them back, to relive them. Or the other thing is that sometimes we keep believing that we are going to need it later and it turns out that while we have it, we don't need it. But it is enough that we discard it for the opportunity to use it to appear, and that is when repentance comes to us. Nice Friday for you.
You have kept these things really long. I am very surprised about that when you are a man because of this I only see in women. I think you are a very emotional person, and best regards everything that comes to you.
oh that made me laugh. Thank you! I think maybe i have kept them so long because I forgot i had them since they were never in my own house :)
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So cool! It was like opening a time capsule. I feel that if you held onto it for another 20 years, it wouldn’t have as much of an impact as it does today. Being away from the place you grew up for so long most likely heightens the feeling of nostalgia. I’m not ready to revisit my past yet. Lol. Just went to my 25th high school reunion. :-/
If I were you, I would never ever threw things that, belong one of family members, especially if it is from your parents.
I have encountered the same situation, where I had to decide whether I should throw things out or keep it. Of course I did keep it. Frankly speaking these things do not hold a big space. But when the time comes (For sure one day it will come) you will miss those things that belong to your mom or dad, and reminds them whenever you see it, and you will certainly regret..