I am a school teacher. Anyone who has inherited a classroom from a retiring educator understands that teachers can be hoarders and often leave behind file cabinets FULL of items that are "just too good to throw away." When that happened to me, I didn't have time to go through the former teacher's things, but planned to. After two years of teaching without her stuff, I just trashed it all and then had plenty of cabinet space for my own things. Other teachers have come around saying, "Anyone need chalk? The teacher before me had a massive stash; I now have a white board."
This week I tossed an entire box of overhead transparency markers. They still work, I assume, but we haven't used overhead projectors for probably seven years. It is really difficult for us to throw out things that still have life, so to speak. But, I reason, why keep them around? If it's too difficult to throw them away, ask friends or relatives if anyone wants the items. No response? You can always donate to Goodwill and let that company determine if it's worth selling at their stores.
Don't feel responsible for things. They have no feelings.
I need my husband to read your column. He wants to keep everything. We have a huge box of old cassette tapes in the storage closet. We don't even own a cassette player anymore. I'm not even sure they make cassette players anymore. What to do, what to do?
ReplyDeleteThat is indeed a puzzlement. Maybe make a deal that if you download his favorite songs for him (since normally only a couple songs per tape are favorites), you can throw out the cassettes??
ReplyDelete