For a long time I’ve wanted to get rid of stuff, downsize, have a smaller house, smaller stuff, smaller life. This requires getting rid of books (and a lot of other things too). At first I thought I’d get rid of all books, keep none. I put an ad on Craig’s list and many people responded but when they came, I found myself resenting their very presence, their presumption, I kept taking books out of their piles and putting them back on my shelves. (The looks I got). So then I decided to set up a huge table for the books I was willing to part with so that I could avoid people handling the books I wanted to keep. That worked pretty well and while doing it I got all the books I’m keeping organized into categories. The process is a little like organizing your photos. Each book is a memory, a period in your life, it’s like going back in time. Giving away these memories feels like giving away your children. Well maybe not that extreme but it feels sad. Dan didn’t like it at all and kept saying “Why are we doing this again?” A surpise bonus was the recipients. Being able to give books to a family with three children undertaking home schooling for the first time felt really great. A bunch went to someone who is going to sell them on Ebay to help pay for three kids in college, and many will go to the retirement home for veterans. It’s also fun to see people get excited about the same titles that I got excited about when I first found them in the book stores. To talk about books with people who really love them, that was fun too. Dan couldn’t part with his history books, went back in to the for sale pile and took them all back out and made a special shelf for them. He’s already read them of course, but I guess letting go needs to happen in steps.
