Who Cares What Nansi Thinks?

One of my more embarrassing moments was when I sold my Oldsmobile Intrigue. I had actually gone to the dealership to look around and wound up signing on the dotted line. They guy said, "Let's clear out your old car so you can drive home in your new car." I almost tore up the contract.

I was not at all prepared for ANYONE to lift the trunk of my Olds. It was FULL of Mom's stuff. I had been carrying it around for over a year. It was crap that I didn't have room for in my house, but couldn't bring myself to toss.

I purged about half of it the next day because I went from a mid-sized luxury to a compact economy (VW Jetta) with about half the trunk room.

So, I've driven around another year and a half with a trunk full of mom's crap.

Last week, when I took Mom to the eye doctor, I had a heck of time cramming her wheel chair into the backseat of my Jetta. Plus it left black marks all over my seats. It would have been SO much easier to tuck the thing into the trunk...

Yesterday, Mike and I went to Mom's new room (yes, she's moved AGAIN) to rearrange her furniture. Her room was full of JUNK. I wish they would admit her to the hospital on the days they have rummage sales out in the parking lot!!! She had several serving platters and bowls. (This did not include the stack of Christmas platters I brought home with me a few weeks ago.) She had stacks of ancient magazines and ripped up puzzles books. She had a ton of bizarre little figurines--crap she would have pitched in her better days. etc. etc.

Mike watched as I rearranged and reorganized to get her two extra hospital tables OUT of the room. She was thrilled when she came back to see the finished product.

She's always thrilled. She can NEVER tell me what's missing. So why am I carting around a load of crap that she hasn't lain eyes on in nearly three years? Guilt.

So I sucked in a deep breath and went through the boxes and bags in the trunk. I could not find one item of hers that I thought she gave a fig about. I can't even figure out why I felt so compelled to keep the stuff.

It's all gone. The only thing in my trunk today is a big umbrella and an emergency roadside kit. I could fit TWO wheelchairs in there if I wanted to!

It's been a hard lesson for me to learn. It's not WHAT Mom collects, but THAT she collects that is the issue. Hoarders will hoard whatever is in their pathway. If they live in a diamond mine, it'll be diamonds. If they live in a nursing home, it's straws, butter pats, and salad dressing packets. And no matter what a hoarder hoards, they'll stack it to the rafters if you let them!

Today I decided that if MY rafters are going to be stacked, it'll be MY STUFF I stack!