#cruftofthepast

I've been going through my old stuff. Notably, picking things to get rid of, and things to hold on to. I have already accumulated too much cruft to be of any good use to me, and need to thin the herd out before my inevitable move into a smaller space. But as you go through your stuff you find things. What kind of things?

Posters from my tours abroad in High School

Cruft accumulated from various career fairs and activity fairs

A life sized poster of me from my last year of college

A paper box

Gonna take a moment on this last one. I had no idea what it was when I found it. So I opened it. And there was another box inside. I opened that. A smaller box. I opened that. A folded piece strip of paper.

My heart froze for a moment while my brain suddenly decided to remember. It was a love letter. A short missive from my girlfriend right before I went to college. I think. <- I am slightly ashamed at that last bit. Either way, I wasn't sure I wanted the reminder.

I unfolded the strip anyways.

A reminder of a love long past. Something forgotten. A faint memory. I almost threw it out. After all, that time for that relationship had come and had gone, lost in the wake of new friendships and relationships. Connections that now run through my mind.

Awkward nights and wonderful nights. Painful, weary days and days that passed so quickly the hours felt like they were archived with early childhood memories.

Ultimately, I can't throw it out and won't throw it out. I choose not to erase the past. At least not for now.