Are you a hoarder or a chuckerer away? I am a bit of both and often regret getting rid of things although I do regularly clear out and donate to charity shops.
In recent times I have found some absolute gems in the charity shop from my brand new immaculate Radley Coin Purse to Luxury Ren Skincare. Those are my finds but as I said I also hoard!
I have boxes in my garage that contain the remnants of my degree. There are folders and books full of notes and each time I have moved, they have moved with me. I genuinely thought because I went on to teach Sociology (and still tutor it) that I would need them one day. That day has not ever arrived but still the boxes remain. There is something about not letting go of that period in my life. Therefore I need the physical storage space for things that I have attached meanings to. If I were a student today that storage space would be more likely to be in the cloud! However it is nice to have the physical collection too.
The Sociology text books are still used now that Chloe is doing A Level Sociology but I doubt she will read my notes! It got me comparing to how students learn today. Handwritten notes are swapped for digital handouts. When II went to Uni we would scribble furiously during lectures. In seminars I would carry home bundles of handouts yet now it is all online. Tutors upload notes and rely on powerpoint presentations.
When I started teaching it was much the same. I was writing lesson plans on those transparent sheets and using an overhead projector! Now it is all online. I also feel the same about books. I had many many books and grew up in a home with bookshelfs stacked high. In modern houses there is much less attachment to books. We read on Kindle
and save space. Whilst on one hand I like that my trusty kindle is easy to carry and perfect for travelling I still covet real books.
I did keep all my Roald Dahl books and have really enjoyed watching Erin read my old copies. There is definately space to have both physical and virtual copies of things. I wish I had kept more of my books that is probably the one thing I wish I had not given away so easily.
What have you kept because you can’t get rid of it? Maybe your wedding dress or photos from your younger years? Would you prefer to have physical copies of photos or are you happy with them in the cloud?
Disclosure: This is a collaborative post.
