Why Personal Items Are Important

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I have a number of personal item that I have held on to throughout my lifetime for various reasons. Many of these items were retained as I thought they would have great personal value in the future. Others were kept as reminders of things that I have accomplished in my life, and to show that I can do anything if I set my mind to it. Why though have I kept all of these items throughout the years? Was it for memorabilia, OCD, or perhaps for their usefulness? No, it wasn’t that simple. The reason they were all retained is something much deeper and even more primal, I simply fear getting rid of them.
Several of the items that I have saved over the years were from high school. They include items like decorative prom cups, graduation awards, and even my old cap and gown. Some of the other items I have held on to include the empty shell of a grenade, decorative pencils, Taekwondo and Shotokan karate belts, comic books, and other assorted random items. All of these items vary in age, type and …show more content…

Guilt is the stickiest clutter issue for people. Not just women. So many people are riddled with family guilt about holding onto things – most of which they don’t like or need – because it’s the family stuff. (10-13) Now I think we are on to something. I don’t think that guilt needs to be tied to just family items though. There is also something that I would call trash guilt. So many of the things I am holding onto could be linked, in a way, to guilt. I feel guilty to hang on to them, but I would feel even guiltier to just throw them away. One example of trash guilt is the afore mentioned prom cups. They sit on a shelf just waiting for some use, but they were not designed to actually be used for anything. They are from a time prior to the proliferation of digital cameras, or even the popularity of the disposable camera. Therefore, to keep the memories of an event, you preserved them with keepsakes, like a big mug with a date on it, to be able to always reflect on the

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