MONSTERS IN MY CLOSET

I have been meaning to clean my closet for quite some time now.  I always have great intentions, but it never seems to get done.  Well, today was the day!  I alway think it might take an hour to do, but it usually takes several...

I don't consider myself a pack rat, but today I had to wonder...  My closet not only houses my clothing.  It is a storing house for other miscellaneous treasures that I have collected over the years.  Why is it so hard for me to get rid of those things that I never use??   Is this a sign of insecurity or am I just sentimental??  My biggest problem is with stuff that other people have given to me.  I am sure that in most cases, the gift has been long-forgotten by the giver.  The problem is with me.  I just feel so guilty and can't bear the thought of throwing it because I know that my mom, my husband, my kids or my friends took the time to pick that something special for me.  It doesn't matter if I never wear it or would NEVER display it in my house.  So...it just sits in my closet.  

At any rate, I think that I made some progress today by unloading a few things that had no business being in my closet.  I threw away some things that had made the cut in previous cleanings.  I gave two boxes away and threw away two boxes!  I suppose I could have done more, but I guess that it was a start.  Rigo found a few treasures that I had buried deep in my closet and under my bed.  I was slightly mortified when he pulled out a large unopened puzzle from deep beneath my bed with PLAYGIRL written in big letters across the front.  It was given to me for my 40th birthday and had a display of 20 shirtless hunks on the front.  There was nothing obscene about it, but when my 6-year-old son asked, "What's this, Mom?", I just about croaked!  I quickly grabbed it out of his hands and just said..."Oh, this is really nothing" and whisked it away in a hurry.  How embarrassing for me even though I'm sure he didn't have a clue.   You may be wondering why I decided to keep such a thing.  In my own defense, I think my plan was to regift this puzzle for someone else's 40th birthday, but I evidently forgot that I had saved it.

Moral of the story.  Beware when you start to dig deep in the closets of your house.  You never know what little monsters you might discover!