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| I found this treasure in the paper sort--one I'll put in a frame and give to my son as it is an illustration drawn by a loved one that is actually a foreshadowing of my son's chosen profession as a plant specialist. |
Sorting through boxes of old papers is both cumbersome and emotional. In some ways, these old papers tell a story of my life for over 30 years, and makes me think of moments I am proud of, moments I regret, moments of celebration, and moments of sadness. As I sort, I'm continually reflecting on the following questions:
- What should I keep?
- What should I toss?
- Was that event worth it?
- Was that event a waste of time?
Worth it?
Paper after paper demonstrates decisions I made with regard to my sons, and for the most part, every paper denotes a decision well made. While, like all parents, we have certainly not been perfect, in general making our children the top priority was a good choice--one I value and one I'm proud of. Some of the paperwork that signify decisions less worthwhile mostly involved a few purchases that were unnecessary and never proved to significantly elevate life in any way.
Keepers?
The paperwork I'm keeping is paperwork that provides a snapshot of who we are as individuals and a family. I'm keeping significant news articles, photos, report cards, school projects, letters, and other signature pieces of paper that tell the story of life's highlights and also some times of significant sadness. Believe it or not, thirteen years later, it's the first time I read the medical report about a miscarriage I had--until now, I was unable to read that report. I'll hold on to that a bit more as the paper is a teacher--had I sought better care or taken better care of myself during that time, I may not have had a miscarriage. It happened during a particularly stressful event at work--a time when the team was struggling with what to do with a child who was demonstrating a clear lack of neglect as well as mental illness issues. It also happened at a time when I was terribly busy in life, and with a doctor's office that had a drug problem, a problem I learned about after the event. All in all, given my age, I probably should have sought better care from the start. During a similar time period, another colleague lost a full term baby--I often wonder if that loss was also due to subpar care and too much stress at work too.
I am also keeping some old stories I wrote which I'll return to later, and some important financial/legal papers.
Throw aways?
Mostly I'm throwing away long outdated documents and paperwork I can easily find online. I'm throwing out lousy pictures, and materials that no one is likely to want to look at again.
The paper sort is emotional. It's best done while watching some mindless television or listening to some good music.
It's one more step in the year-long purge I'm doing to get my house down to as few things as possible with the focus on "less things, more time." Onward.