Learning to let go

The song of the moment these days is, "Let It Go." It's performed by Idina Menzel and comes from the movie Frozen. Zeke and I saw it as part of a birthday party at the Tri Cities 7 theater. I was not as enamored by the film the way others have been. It starts as a classic Disney musical, but then the third act is really an action-adventure film.

I have been letting go of stuff for about five years now. It started with the Great Recession. (Wow - that auto capitalized itself)  I was thinking about all the stuff in the attic in Missouri I had been carrying around for years: comic books, baseball cards, stuff from my childhood that I simply did not want to part with. I also started letting go of papers, receipts and other stuff I had been holding onto for too long.

Since then, I have been phasing out lots of stuff. It was especially important after we moved to get rid of stuff that we should not have moved at all. Old toys, electronics, plenty of wrestling stuff. My mom brought me all the old toys she still had - I've systematically sold them off on eBay. The proceeds have paid for soccer seasons, toys for my children and the occasional indulgence for me. I've nearly reached the end of the pile. Nostalgia only goes so far. My capacity to enjoy those things anymore is limited and its best they be put into the homes of people who can enjoy them.

Now with the stuff I have there is a recognition that it's just stuff. I recently cracked the screen of the iPad on which I am writing this. A year ago, I cracked the screen of my iPod touch. I'm more disappointed in myself that I was not more careful, but they still work and it's just a replaceable thing.