Just throw it out already!

I'm slowly packing up the house. At this point, I'm tackling one closet at a time. Looking at all these bloated and burgeoning closets, stuffed full of things we never use but hide away and keep "just in case," I'm this close to just shucking everything. Really, do I need those hideous orange kitten mules that I bought five years ago to wear to a business casual event? Or the awful (and yes, slutty) silver 5" heels I wore once to Vegas for a Manny Pacquaio boxing match? Or the too tight t-shirts that used to fit when I was in college? Do the kids need those toys they haven't touched for months (and wouldn't notice if they went "missing")? Do we need to save every Halloween costume? Or tacky souvenir from past vacations?

Usually, Dave is the one to rid our lives of these unnecessary, unused and obsolete items. He will go through our things like clockwork every six months or so and toss them out without remorse. I, on the other hand, am the pack rat of the family. This is why I have been allotted one closet and a few drawers to stuff things away to my heart's delight and be exempt from Dave's purging tendencies. But now, since Dave is already in SF, I am the one to shoulder this big task. Will I have the will to toss things out without looking back and clinging onto all things unworn or forgotten behind closet doors?

My mom immigrated to the USA from Vietnam long ago in 1975 with one suitcase and four kids (the fourth child was the illegitimate love-child of her maid whom my mom "adopted"). She tried to bring more luggage but was forced by officials to toss everything into the sea save one measly suitcase. This one suitcase held a few precious photos and other keepsakes of a life she would leave behind forever. I think of her and her courageous move across the world while I throw out bags upon bags of things we don't need to move across country. To move forward in our lives now, we will need a big 75 ft truck to house all our household goods and furniture. And she, long ago, forged ahead with one simple suitcase.

That is the simple way to move. Just toss out everything and start anew. Do we need six sofas (yes, six)?!? We won't even have enough space in our future tiny house for all these seating options. Most people make due with one or two. We have six! Don't get me started on all the other stuff we've accumulated over the years.

So, let's start with the sofas. Just toss them all--save one.

Ok, probably won't happen but I'm feeling a bit cavalier and just want to move on with life. Without all this stuff.