Memory Lane

I spent the greater part of last week at my parents' and while I was there also looked into some drawers. My room in their house is interesting as it has always served just as a guest room. My parents moved there the year I graduated from school and moved to Vienna so before the move I had gone through my childhood stuff in our old flat and also seized the opportunity to throw out/give away a lot of the things I had collected/hoarded up to that point.

What I did move mostly got put on a shelf (all my beloved books, for example) or in a drawer (e.g. my childhood jewellery and crafting supplies) and has gathered dust there. Out of curiosity, I looked into some shoe boxes and immediately remembered all the things and the circumstances that brought them into my possession. It's incredible though, that 35 years (!) have passed since I last held most of these things in my hands and the realisation that I probably won't ever use most of them again ever and another "culling" is in order is somewhat sobering.  My 18/19-year-old self probably did not give it that much thought and was mostly glad to be done with sorting out and moving stuff, but the older I get, the more I ask myself why I am still keeping some things at all. 

Some people think that you are keeping things "for the next generation" which in my case won't be the case, but I know from personal experience, having witnessed my parents' generation deal with the many MANY things left over by their elders that with the exception of a few prized heirlooms, this is more often a burden rather than a gift. Well, or I could be fatalistic and see this as an advantage, actually: whoever gets to sort through my worldly belongings likely won't be held back by sentimental considerations and can just check them out or sell them for a profit...hmmm. Be that as it may, I should probably start decluttering in my flat in Vienna where 27 years of life have also left their mark...