I stood in my son's bedroom, holding a worn, colorful spider. If you're a certain age, you will certainly remember "Beanie Babies," the soft, cuddly beanbag toys that were all the rage a decade ago. Oh, yes, my sons also collected Pokemon cards and Hot Wheels, but those were easier to dispose of... I guess...because my sons didn't sleep with those every night.
But with my son off at college, I found myself cleaning out his bedroom and deciding what to box up for moving, what to throw away, and what to send to Goodwill. And there I was, holding that Beanie Baby spider...his favorite. Sure, he really liked the lizard and the dog as well. But the spider was the one I would find tucked under his chin at night as he slept, all those years ago. Here it was, in his closet, along with 20 more Beanie Babies in a box on the top shelf. He had saved them. But he probably had not looked at them in years. But now it was up to me to decide their fate.
Condos do not have much room for storage; every square foot counts. So there were some difficult decisions to be made.
"Downsizing" is something a lot of people do when they get older and/or when their children move out. Although downsizing can be cathartic, it's not easy giving up space and possessions and...sometimes memories. Below are two polls - share your thoughts on what you would give up, and then, if you want, use the blog comments to discuss your choices!
You gotta keep the spider!!!
ReplyDeleteAnd I voted on giving up yard space... because here is Saudi, no one's in their backyard these days!
Fun post!
tg
Dan, I still have a stuffed monkey that I received when I was born (and was always my very favourite). My niece and nephew seem to have taken over all of the other stuffed toys (and almost all of my toys and children's books), but that one stuffed animal remains sacred.
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