We got a dumpsta

Having a way to get rid of stuff is necessary, but not sufficient for the task of getting rid of stuff.

Neither are the hard rules ("Keep seven years of tax-related records." "Throw out anything you haven't worn in two years." "Do we really need three cans of spray de-icer?" "If you haven't needed that piece of peg board in the last 20 years, ...." ). The rules help, but only if the decision can be based on logic. We're not logical. We're human.
We're hopeful and think that that this piece of clear plastic might be useful in some creative future that probably won't come. We're fearful that, if we throw out these old, faded pictures of unrecognizable old Finns, we're disrespecting my parents. And the roof rack in the shed? Does that belong to my current Subaru or the one that's going to our grandson? I'd better check, but, later, when I have some time (forgetting that we've used a roof rack just once in how many years?).
And won't this brain of mine just shut up and let me throw stuff away? Of course not.

Classical physics says that gravity is a function of mass, but can't explain why a little object such as this stays in place because I don't know why I have two of them that I just might need.
Finally, though, as with everything, it's about doing the best that you can. We set a goal of emptying our attic and we completed that. We set another goal of emptying one of the two sheds and we completed that. Those leftover roofing shingles - gone. The rusty chains and aforementioned peg board - gone. It's better. It's not all better, but it's better.
And, in the course of things, we got to talking with our neighbor who had some scrap lumber that he was pleased to toss. He also had a couple of pallets that we reclaimed for use for next year's firewood stack. He also had a few stories. Sometimes, being a good neighbor means just listening to one neighbor telling stories about another neighbor. I'm sure that there a few stories about us, too.
"You aren't moving out, are you?" he finally asked.
"No, we're just cleaning. Nearly 30 years of stuff - something's got to go."
"That's good, that you're not moving."
"Not any time soon," I said.

We got a dumpsta

Having a way to get rid of stuff is necessary, but not sufficient for the task of getting rid of stuff.

Neither are the hard rules ("Keep seven years of tax-related records." "Throw out anything you haven't worn in two years." "Do we really need three cans of spray de-icer?" "If you haven't needed that piece of peg board in the last 20 years, ...." ). The rules help, but only if the decision can be based on logic. We're not logical. We're human.
We're hopeful and think that that this piece of clear plastic might be useful in some creative future that probably won't come. We're fearful that, if we throw out these old, faded pictures of unrecognizable old Finns, we're disrespecting my parents. And the roof rack in the shed? Does that belong to my current Subaru or the one that's going to our grandson? I'd better check, but, later, when I have some time (forgetting that we've used a roof rack just once in how many years?).
And won't this brain of mine just shut up and let me throw stuff away? Of course not.

Classical physics says that gravity is a function of mass, but can't explain why a little object such as this stays in place because I don't know why I have two of them that I just might need.
Finally, though, as with everything, it's about doing the best that you can. We set a goal of emptying our attic and we completed that. We set another goal of emptying one of the two sheds and we completed that. Those leftover roofing shingles - gone. The rusty chains and aforementioned peg board - gone. It's better. It's not all better, but it's better.
And, in the course of things, we got to talking with our neighbor who had some scrap lumber that he was pleased to toss. He also had a couple of pallets that we reclaimed for use for next year's firewood stack. He also had a few stories. Sometimes, being a good neighbor means just listening to one neighbor telling stories about another neighbor. I'm sure that there a few stories about us, too.
"You aren't moving out, are you?" he finally asked.
"No, we're just cleaning. Nearly 30 years of stuff - something's got to go."
"That's good, that you're not moving."
"Not any time soon," I said.

Suburban liberal street cred - old school

It's not like we marched with the Wobblies or were co-signers of the Port Huron Statement, but we sent a few bucks to  worthy causes.

---

The corollary to Newton's First Law says that stuff in the attic tends to stay in the attic unless you make a deliberate and almost maniacal effort to get it out of there. The most recent extraction is a box of canceled checks from the late 80s and early 90s. It's a fascinating exercise to see how we spent our money, writing checks from now-defunct banks people and enterprises that were so very important at the time.