It seemed easy when I read it – a Good Housekeeping magazine article about decluttering the house with 50 points of action.
Purging useless books was item #5. I had completed items #1-4 inadvertently. They had to do with clearing the fridge of packets of condiments, sharpening knives or pitching them out, ridding oneself of unused items such as hair bands, and donating baby's and children's clothes.
After all, I was busy minimizing and optimizing the house this spring, wasn't I? Everything you want to know can be found on the internet, can't it? I could use less dust and an easier-on-the-eye ambiance couldn't I?
I began with the "desk." It isn't really a desk but is a teak cabinet that has cubbies, and shelves, and sleeves for files. I use the piece of furniture with a short foldable stool; I'm never comfortable since I cannot get my feet and legs under it.
But I left two large and genuine desks in Jacksonville when I moved, along with two adjustable desk chairs. What do I have to complain about? What retired person with a lap top, two iPads, and an iPhone (who only writes two or three checks a month that are nearly illegible due to a crushed and repaired wrist) need with a real desk, anyway?
As I sat to jot these notes down, I was proud that the "desk" was cleaned, reorganized, and looking businesslike. I found a whole box of #1 pencils and 100 erasers for the drawing pencils. A great afternoon accomplishment!
Yet, no books were eliminated. What a surprise to realize that I had no heart to donate any them. Not one! Neither the high school yearbooks nor the cookbooks that are separated from the ones on the bookshelves because Wayne bought them. All back in the usual cubby holes.
My collection of Bibles; some mine, and others of my mother and mother-in-law; gifts from old friends, inscribed; my cousin Fred's old teaching Bible (he has a new one) and his Methodist hymnbook; Bibles bought for studies and classes that were particular as to translations; my original King James as well as my adored 1611 King James, my new paperback King James Oxford edition; my Prayer Books.
And so it goes. Next up is the tall, skinny, corner shelf. That one will be easy, too. Everything will get a good dusting. That's it! Then on to the big, new shelf where I might have to fight with myself to at least reorganize the books and consider giving up the paperback novels at the very least. Ha!
I've done this dozens of times over the years. I've given away hundreds of books in my lifetime. I've traded them, I've left them untouched during divorce and thereby given up custody. Maybe, I don't have but one or two books that need to leave the room. Maybe I've worked, unbeknownst to myself, the books down to books that I love and want to keep for the rest of my life. Let someone else execute the book purge!
