Hello, my name is Micaela and I'm a packrat...

I'm sure somewhere, there's some 12-step program for people like me. People who can't seem to get rid of things, and think that there's a reason to keep almost anything. Now granted, I'm not as bad as many out there (nor, quite frankly, as bad as I used to be), but for me, it's still a problem. I was walking around my house today looking for a plastic container to sort and store some toys in. I looked from corner to corner and realized that I was using every one that I had and that for quite a few I couldn't even tell you what was in them! I literally have some boxes that have sat unopened in a corner for, oh let's say, probably over a year. Now I know that most people would say (and experts would agree) that if you haven't seen, worn, looked at, etc. whatever it is in over a year it can just be tossed in the trash. Well, I can't do that. I will have to open each box and look through it and therein lies my problem. Once I start looking at everything I'll think of a reason to keep it.

Sometimes it's for personal security reasons, i.e. a computer disk that I can't even use any more (none of my computers have slots for them) that I don't want to just toss because I don't know what's there. Or sometimes it's because it has some sort of sentimental value, but isn't something I can scrapbook. Or maybe I was collecting it for a reason, and now I don't know what to do with it, but I don't want to just throw it away. I really need to start a program where something goes where it's intended to go within the same day as opening it or I don't keep it! But that's so hard! Everything has some sort of meaning to me. And I just hate to get rid of anything. But I really don't like how easily messed the house gets because I'm holding on to things and utilizing both my storage containers and my space to keep things that I know I will probably never use in any way.

And books, I have shelves of them, and some boxes in the garage. I love to read and I'm a re-reader so I don't like to get rid of them. I often take some to the Book Rack where I can trade them in for credit and then get other books, but I also often just keep them and buy them new. Not good for the space or the pocketbook. But I do need to go through them and prepare a pile to take to the book rack.

I also have toys and games that I don't often allow the kids to play with or never use on my infrequent game nights so why do I keep them? If they can't play with them, why are they around? If i know I'm never going to play the game, why keep it? I will, however, say that I have gotten better in not saving the kid's clothes for 'special occasions'. What's the point of buying cute clothes and then saving them, right?

Well, I guess it's time to start sorting and tossing. I just have to do it...right?