I used to enjoy having a well-stocked bookshelf of what I had read, as well as what I wanted to read. When I had friends over, I could give them a book. I would have a few copies of the ones I really liked.
The bookshelf, photo collection, CDs, and DVDs were a visual story of what I was curious about. A conversation starter.
When I streamlined, I gave most of those away. I also gave a way a lot of paintings. I had an art studio in Wimbledon for four years, and it was time to find homes for the paintings that hadn’t yet been adopted. I usually gave paintings to friends for special occasions. I love seeing my work on people’s walls.
I still had some stuff to store that was sentimental. A good friend’s father had a business making children’s playground surfaces. That included having a warehouse for storing the materials. It is dangerous paying “rent” for stuff, but I was lucky. He let me have a corner to put things like my easel, and I guitar I had bought with the intention of learning.
A former colleague looked after an electric keyboard I had the intention of learning. He had the intention too.
Like Arya wrapping and burying her sword. A girl may have no name, and we may not want to identify with things, but turns out to be hard to let go completely. Going through the exercise of trying to let go is revealing.
