One of the realizations of old age is that there is so much wastage in one’s younger years. Do you agree with that? I am in my 40’s now. And I may not be old old yet, but when I look back to my 20’s and 30’s, yes, there was so much I could have saved. There was so much waste, literally and figuratively.
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I remember watching this reality show where people hoard different items to the point that their homes and lives are being destroyed by the items they cannot dispose of. One lady hoarded tons of books. She literally made a bed out of the books inside her house. It was a mess! The intervention team brought a rent a bin for junk removal to help her clean her home so they could give her back a semblance of life she once had. The lady refused to part with her books in the beginning. But when the intervention team pointed out that rats were living alongside her on those books, she reluctantly agreed.
After watching that show, I looked at my boxes and boxes of books and stuff realizing that I have wasted so much money hoarding books that looked really beautiful but I had no intention of reading. Book covers used to attract my attention a lot. So, even when I didn’t like the story, I’d still buy the book so I could display it. I also did this to notebooks and notepads and any kind of paper for that matter. My sister used to call me a hoarder because I was one. But that show opened my eyes to the waste around me. I sorted my books, separated the ones I haven’t read yet that I wasn’t too keen on reading, those books I already read that I didn’t want to keep anymore, and sold all of those books. I kept three boxes of books that I truly liked and wanted to read sometime in the future.
These days, I think a million times before I buy something. Not only books but also other personal stuff. I will add it to cart (because I now mostly buy my stuff online) but I’d keep the items there. After a few days, realization will come and I’d either check the items out or I’d empty my cart. A few years of life gave me a percentage of wisdom I need.
I used to dream of filling my room with books. Shelves and shelves of books that I could show off to my family, friends, and acquaintances. I visualize their eyes going wide with my bedroom looking like a library. It was a dream of mine. Not anymore, though. These days, a clean, clutter-free room is what I like to maintain. I use a Kindle e-book reader nowadays. Cheaper and space saver. Also, more environment-friendly.
I still dream of a house with a big library with all my favorite books displayed beautifully on it. It will remain a dream for me because I will not return to hoarding paper stuff anymore. Or any other item for that matter.