Life-hacking 2

The second example: Throw things away.

I am willing to blame my parents for at least part of my pack-rat habit. My parents both have a remarkable talent for holding on to things. This can be good sometimes, but it can also become a frustrating, irritating tendency.

During the recent move, a couple of friends forced me to throw some stuff away, things that had little intrinsic. Without their help, I would probably have packed and put away these things--egg poachers, inexpensive vases, extra sets of poker chips, and more--without thinking about it. In a few years, when Banana and I moved into a new house, these things would have traveled again.

The lessons were good ones, though, and I have continued to purge. With each box, I have decided what really needed to stay and what should go. With Anna's stuff, I have taken as hard a line as I can on getting rid of toys that she no longer plays with, and quietly stripping out the weird little detritus that children collect.

More and more, I think that part of growing up is realizing what should stay and what should go.

HERE ENDETH THIS LESSON.