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old journals, papers and memories

1K views 20 replies 20 participants last post by  kewb 
#1 ·
i have been cleaning and decluttering and i've unearthed a box of old journals, papers and memories. im not sure what to do with them.ive dragged them around with me for ages and somehow i can never let go of them. is it totally disfunctional to keep these old things?
 
#3 ·
For the papers- Can you scan some of the important stuff? I've done that with a lot of our important documents (still keep the originals- just not in the house) so that I have quick access if I need to look something up.

If there are "things" with memories attached, would it be possible to take some pictures and make a special album?

 
#4 ·
i have ben thinking of burning them.. most are not very happy or are a big mixture of all emotions.. im a pisces
very moody and emotional
:
writing is very healing for me, i dont do it much anymore on papaer because i mdc and blog now

i know that if i died i wouldnt want anyone reading them! so part of me wants to get rid of them..not that im planning on dying anytime in the next 70 years, but you know.. i think that it would be freeing to get rid of them.. but its also all i have left of a life i once lived, that seems like a totaally different one than im living now.
 
#5 ·
I ALWAYS get rid of old journals and things like that. I am kind of a freak about privacy. Not only would I be mortified if someone read that stuff, but more than once in my *adult* life I have had to deal with the fallout of people reading my private stuff. It's awful. Never mind my lack of privacy as a kid. But seriously, grown-ups reading other grown-ups journals? WTF?

ahem. anyway.

I keep mementos like postcards friends have sent from cool places and things like that, I'm not sure about 'important' papers. I would guess if they've been hiding in boxes so long you didn't even remember them they aren't probably all that important


But I don't think it's dysfunctional to keep those things. IME most people do. Maybe you could sort through them and keep a small percentage of the items, put them into a binder or scrapbook or something and also scan some things like a pp suggested.
 
#6 ·
Do you have a scanner? You could scan a few of them in and save them that way, less space. If you are aren't going to really display the paper, then there is no need to worry about whether you physically have it or not.

I agree with the burn the bad ones though.
 
#9 ·
Mamafern, thanks for starting this thread.

I too have a lot of old journals and stuff and was not sure what to do with them. I would be horrified if someone read some of that stuff. The PMS rants during teen years are really bad. I would always write when I was unhappy, because it made me feel better. When things were good I'd forget about writing every day. If you read them you would think I was an awful person with a terrible life
My poor dh would think I was unhappy in our marriage because I only write when I'm frustrated about something. Anyway, now I feel like I can burn some of that stuff without guilt. I always worried about dying and someone reading it.

I'm doing the decluttering challenge this spring and I've been trying to get rid of anything that makes me feel sad, mad or guilty due to who it was from or what it reminds me of. I want to be surrounded by things that make me smile
Getting rid of most of the bad stuff (writings) would be very healing I think. Some things should be remembered though, as Mrsmiller said.
 
#10 ·
i just cleaned out my garage and found i have three large boxes of stuff like that i can't get rid of. for me it is all happy memories. i love going through old journals and seeing where i was at different points in my life. i'm 34 and have stuff probably from about age 14 on. i can't see getting rid of it anytime soon.

i think it is okay if the stuff has positive memories.
 
#11 ·
I keep a big rubbermaid bin for Keepsake stuff. If the bin gets full, I have to go through it and cull it, because I won't allow myself to keep more than that. I keep my old stories, some old notes. I was going to burn my diaries, but am glad that I didn't. Even though they are bad memories, they serve as proof for a few things that happened in highschool, and apparantly I can use them as evidence in court. Something to keep in mind, I guess.
 
#12 ·
I have a huge cedar chest I am keeping stuff in. My girls get a look at it sometimes and like seeing stuff from my past. There are year books and lots of my art and poetry in there. I have several diaries as I write nearly daily. I have a couple dedicated just to my girls protraying what I went through with PPD. I felt so alone. I plan to give them to them when they are ready, probably before they start a familiy. All of this is in my cedar chest. I have seriously considered a fire proof safe. It would take up less floor space. But, they are expensive.
 
#15 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by MamaFern View Post
i think that it would be freeing to get rid of them.. but its also all i have left of a life i once lived, that seems like a totaally different one than im living now.
You know what life you used to have - you don't need to prove it. Letting them go does not erase your past, but acknowledges that you have grown and moved on with your life. Now if there is something really special to you in all of that, like for example a photo, keep that. Keep the best of the best. Set the rest free.

Know that the best memories are not limited to the past. You have a whole future of memories to look forward to with your family.
 
#17 ·
I have to agree w/ MrsMiller and Emilie on this one... if you're going to toss some of the painful stuff to bring about closure - that's understandable. But please consider keeping at least some of the memories, and in their original form. It is history, and it will serve as bits and pieces of you for your decendents to cherish.

So much of the wonderful history we have to study today is a result of scrupulous (and transparent) journaling and record-keeping on the part of our ancestors.
 
#18 ·
If they have negative energy, out they go and don't feel guilty about it!

I still have all my love notes from DH-I just have them in a Rubbermaid in my office closet. I get them out every once in awhile and even though I love to declutter, they have a lot of sentimental value and give me positive energy, so they stay!
 
#19 ·
I shredded my high school diary and it felt soooo good! I had a lot of bad memories from a relationship with an alcoholic, 7 years older than me. It was wasted time and energy that I don't want to remember or have my girls read when they get older.

But if it is something that brings you joy, then find a pretty box to store it in.
 
#20 ·
When my mother died, I found her journals and poetry. It honestly helped me to understand so much about her that I never would have. As messed up as my life might have been, I think keeping my journals might be helpful for my daughter when she's older.
 
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