For the last two afternoons, I have been working hard to let go of all of my school stuff. When I use the word ‘stuff’ I mean posters, books, binders, folders, dividers, markers, mugs, weird pieces of contact paper…..you get the idea. I found items from 1997 that I’ve saved because I was sure I would need them again. Some of the stuff I have used. Some of it became obsolete and there was no point in keeping it. Some of the stuff is perfectly useful and I forgot I owned it!

One of my dearest friends and classroommate, Beth, is going through the same thing. In order to get rid of the stuff, we created a give-away table. Everyone who comes in our room is welcome to take some of our stuff. Many of our colleagues and students have taken us up on our offer. Kids have walked out with cowboy hats, never used journals, and painted boxes from Costa Rica. Adults with like-new binders, hand-made posters laminated with care, and games made with poster board and poker chips. Watching people walk out smiling and chatting about how they are going to use those unusual binder clips or the blond wig is a great feeling! Everyone wins.

So I’ve sifted through much of my apartment stuff and now I’ve cleaned out the school stuff. Now it’s time to think about my personal stuff- the things that have been weighing on me and that I have tossed aside because I didn’t want to deal with them. I’m not the type who delves into myself that often. I think this is going to be the hardest de-cluttering I do!