Hoarding stuff............One of life's --- mysteries?? or compulsions??

Hey.. I am back again.......after a long sabbatical. But its been a little hectic around these parts. I moved from one place to another after three years and let me tell u it has not been easy.

I whooped with joy when I found that I had received a scholarship at another university for a second degree. Completely excited with the aspect of moving to a new place, I began making plans. I would get a nice apartment, furnish it well, make sure it was stacked with all forms of entertainment that I could afford on a students salary and so on and so forth.

I also realized this was the time to make a clean start. Ring out the old and ring in the new was my motto, my unending refrain. Thinking in this way helped me underestimate my packing to a large extent. I was totally ecstatic at the idea of beginning a new life.

The relocation process began with locating a cheap one way ticket. Of course in this day and age, this was a breeze. One of the numerous websites that sell tickets on deals provided me with an economical solution. I made the commitment and bought the ticket.

The major task out of the way, I continued in my state of ignorant bliss till two days before my departure. My friends did caution me....do u really think u can pack in two days, they said. Of course, was the confident reply. All I have to do is decide what I want to take and toss the rest. Little did I know that I was going to have to eat my words.

The Saturday before the Monday of departure arrived. I started late at night. After all, I had the whole night and whole of Sunday to pack. I opened my suitcases, fully expecting them to be empty. After all, the stuff I had been using was hanging in my closet. Imagine my surprise when I found both of them to be full. That's ok was my next thought. I will just have to sift through them and throw them since they are not clothes that I wear regularly anyway.

So I sat down. I pulled out a blue dress. Hey, this was the dress my mom sent for my birthday. I am definitely going to keep this one. Next........this is something I have been looking for, for 6 months. So this is where it was. I have to take this with me. I discarded a few items. Hey..........these were the pair of pants that I bought when I went to Cincinnati .......... I cannot fit into it but have to take it. I just might lose enough weight to wear it once more. A few more items down the line..............this was a skirt that my cousin presented to me.......can't give this away.........and so the saga continued.

Four hours later, I was still sifting through the same suitcase and still had a pile of things that I had to take with me. That was when I realized the extent of my folly. I actually thought I was going to throw away things that I had collected over the last three years. I had not considered my attachment to these things (which in some cases, was totally bizarre). So there I was, in the midst of a pile of clothes and suitcases, thinking how in the world I was going to pack in the next 30 hours or so.

I fell asleep thinking about all this and believe me it was not restful. Next morning came far too early for me. I felt like I had barely closed my eyes when I felt my room mate waking me up. Hey........u aren't packed yet. What happened to the toss what u do not use policy, she asked.

That's when I knew I was beaten. I succumbed to my baser instincts.................HELP I pleaded. My room mate rallied to my support. Of course, that was only after snickering to her heart's content first. She tried hard not to say I told u so. And she actually did not come right out and say it. But I knew it was going on through her mind when ever she saw me and the mess around me.

We then got organized. We knew what we needed. Boxes..........lots of boxes...............lots of BIG boxes. U get the idea. We then scavenged boxes from the university, and began filling them. In went every thing. Some neatly kept some thrown..............the bottom line... I did not feel like throwing as much as I thought I would.

But of course it was impossible to take everything. So with a heavy heart............. I filled plastic bags with stuff that I had not used for a while and things I did not fit into (boo hoo, in went the Cincinnati pants).

At the end of it all, it was Sunday night, 1.00 am, me and my room mate looked around satisfied with the results. We were standing amidst three big boxes, two medium boxes (one full of shoes, only and the other full of books), three check-in size suitcases, two carry-on size suitcases and one roller duffel. These were excluding my backpack. These were also excluding six large trash bags filled with clothes and things I had not used, which were given away to the thrift store.

I could not believe I had actually planned to take only two check-in suitcases and one carry-one suitcase. I was steeped in disbelief. Three years in a place and I had so much stuff that I could fill a house with it. It would cost me a minimum of a hundred dollars to ship them to my new place. Not that I minded. After all I had achieved my objective. I was packed and ready to go in less than 30 hours.

Of course, the hard part of all this was left to my room mate. Lug all this to the fedex store and send them to me. She was an angel through all this. Not a word of complaint. She did have her fun I am sure when she saw me sitting in an ocean of clothes.

Through out all this, one question pops in my mind, incessantly.................how did I end up hoarding so much stuff............. I know the answer...... I just do not like it........... I can give u a few hints and I am sure all of u will recognize them.......... sales.....and more sales...... But this does not mean I will stop buying..... OH MY GOD! That is an impossibility. It simply cannot happen.

However, just remember to pack far in advance when u r moving. Houses have a way of camouflaging things that will be apparent only when it is too late...............so until next time............ciao.