I have been trying to get rid of stuff for years.

Or at least saying I was trying to get rid of stuff.

What this actually meant, was that I had a box in the corner and every time I came across a thing I didn’t need or want anymore, I would throw it in the box. Maybe I would fill a box in a month and I’d then give it away.

That’s not really getting rid of things.

Really getting rid of things is a process that is much more complicated than a box in the corner.

I know I was saying it, because as I sorted through stuff I found cards from my best friend saying “I’m giving you a gift certificate this year for your birthday because I know you’re trying to get rid of stuff.” These are dated as early as 2004.

Also there’s my book journal on my computer. I looked through it recently (in search of what I thought of a book I know I’ve read but couldn’t remember) and found that I’d read things like Don Aslett’s “Not For Packrats Only” as far back as 2002.

So for nearly a decade I have felt like I had too much stuff.