I still can't bring myself to do it
Why am I holding on to a gift I haven't even unwrapped for decades
I can’t even remember who gave it to me but I have this purple personalized stationary that has been sitting in my drawer for more than 16 years. It is not 16 years old. More like 30-something. I remember unpacking it when we moved into our NYC apartment. I even remember thinking: Wow, I still have this. It had been in my childhood home in New Jersey and had been moved along with other stuff up to my parents vacation home in upstate New York when they sold the New Jersey house and just threw all my stuff into a box for me to deal with “later”.
When my husband and I bought our NYC home, it found its way there. The purple personalized stationary has resided in the third drawer of my night table ever since.
I would see it from time to time when I did some minor clean outs. But since it was brand new, still in its original wrapping and personalized and perfectly good, why would I throw it away? Obviously I could not give it away. Surely there would come a time when I wanted to send a a note on purple stationary with my name in a font very appropriate for a teenager of the 80’s rather than the grownup stationary notes I had chosen myself (which I still have a lifetime supply of ready to go).
I always knew the truth. I just didn’t want to face it. Someone had spent perfectly good money on a really thoughtful personalized gift. It didn’t matter if it was $9.99 or $99. It was money spent to give a gift to me. A very thoughtful gift. Priceless in many ways. How could I just toss it away?
Full disclosure: this is not the only item in my home that I am holding on to that I know in my heart will never be used. For example, my husband and I have wedding gifts, that were sent with such good will and yet such bad taste that we have procrastinated getting rid of them for all almost-17 years of our marriage!
So friends, I am putting it out there so you will hold me accountable: I WILL remove items from my home that I will never use. No matter how dear the friend that gave it to me is, no matter what I think they spent, and even if technically we do have “space” for them.
It is time.
So tell me: WWYD?
Speaking of letting go..
My teen is back to school and the distance is real.
But he always seems to be in touch when the balance gets low on his spending account. And I’m back to trying to balance re-loading his app while trying to also teach him our financial values and priorities. Emily Sherman did a great piece on just this topic for U.S. News and World Report.
Here’s a highlight- and then of course please click the button to read her full piece.
Love these two episodes of the podcast. Take al listen and if you like what you hear, please subscribe/follow and even better- write a review and tell a friend.
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