Getting close to the move date now. I quit my job at the end of December so that I’d have ample time to prepare for the move. The idea was such that I’d use this time to pack that which I’m taking and do something with everything that I’m not. The ‘do something’ part was really never deciphered in greater detail than that, and as a result I’ve just been making a lot of spur-of-the-moment decisions on what to do with my stuff. I decided some time ago that I would move using just my car, meaning no trailer, no U-Haul, and little to no mailing of packages. As a result I’m not planning on taking much with me when I go. Just whatever can fit in my car.

I alluded to this possibility in an earlier post, where I broke down the prioritization of belongings. And as for what I’m packing into those boxes you see in the picture, it more or less mirrors the priorities I described in that post. To summarize what I wrote there, I’m packing mostly my electronics, including gaming and computer stuff, and clothes. Aside from a few other odds, ends, and necessities, that pretty much comprises the entirety of what I’m taking with me. It feels a little bit weird to set aside my collection of books yet pack boxes filled with nothing but spare computer cabling, but there’s good reason for my decision in this regard.

Much of what I’m not taking, if not the majority of it, is getting trashed or given away. I oftentimes wonder how other people feel about throwing things away. And not just anything, but the things you throw away that one time had value. The things that are hard to throw away. I tend to think I’m pretty good about letting things go, but even I have to pause for a moment before trashing things that hold very potent memories. Another obstacle appears when you throw away things that work, are not that old, or are in good condition. Many of the things I am throwing away or giving away are things I could probably sell for some meager sum of money if I so chose. Many of them I paid good money for to acquire. It felt strange to throw out my collection of music cds and dvd movies, for instance. At the end of the day though, the hardest things to trash are by far the ones that hold memories. Nevertheless I feel a certain responsibility inside of me to get rid of most of these items, as if I’m trying to avoid bogging myself down with the muck of nostalgia. Make no mistake, cleaning out the room you grew up in is an exercise in rigorous self discipline.