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Last night I went through an old box of pictures I had. Most of them were from my middle school and high school years, since back then we actually used cameras with film.
In that mix of pictures were friends that are no longer living, friends that moved away, friends I don’t talk to anymore, people that never were my friend, a few pictures of exes, and of course for some reason I also saved pictures of things like the floor, people’s shoes, walls, pictures too blurry to make out…I asked myself, why am I saving all these pictures that don’t mean anything to me anymore?
So I went through the box picture by picture, trying to decide if any of these were actually worth keeping.
Here’s how I decided which ones were keepers:
- 1. Anyone who is now dead, I kept. It’s all I have left of them.
2. Anyone I still talk to also made the keeper list, since someday I can share the photos with them and we can laugh about it. (Will that day ever happen, who knows?)
3. Anyone I can use the pictures for blackmail purposes. (Not that I would ever actually do that, but it’s kind of funny to think I have some dirt on them.)
4. Any relatives I also kept, figuring they’re family so might be good someday for showing the kids what grandma looked like when she was younger or explaining the family tree.
Here’s how I decided which pictures to toss:
- 1. All and any memories with exes. I had originally hung onto some of the pictures of my son’s dad, thinking someday my son might want to see what his Dad looked like when he was younger. But when I showed them to him and he asked me “who is that?” I realized it was pointless.
2. Anyone I haven’t talked to in 10 years, since chances are I will never talk to them again and they are not deserving of my valuable closet space.
3. Anything that was a bad picture. If it was blurry, a bad picture of some scenic place I couldn’t identify, or the back of people’s heads, I got rid of it.
4. Anything I didn’t want to be reminded of. Not all of my pictures were from happy times. If it didn’t invoke feelings of good memories, I tossed it. Why remind yourself of a time long ago when you were miserable?
It felt good to throw those pictures out. There’s nothing like saying “I’m done with you!” And the ones I kept, like the one above of me and my best friend in high school on our band trip, are nice to have to remind me of some good times.
Do you hang onto pictures of your past? What are your reasons for keeping or tossing them?
10 Comments
Rad post chelle. My strategy is that you never throw away old things because you never know when you will want them.
Like old messages or letters, dont throw them away just because you are angry. Keep them for when you are not angry.
Thanks for posting on my blog….you are entered into the competition (you can comment as many times as you like for more entries).
Well these are of the past, good ways to narrow them down though! Personally, pictures do not take up any of my closet space, they take up my trash I they are stashed in someone else’s closet!
Wow! Those comments are really close together. I have other things to add any way
I can’t believe it has been a month since the contest and my ad! And I should celebrate one month of being a “no adsense user.”
Speaking of advertising, you need a slot Chelle? I can throw one in if you want.
Ryan I agree that you should save something for a time when you are not angry - and when going through these pictures I was pretty objective…If I saved everything though I would need to build a much bigger house!
Nathaniel I always love free advertising
I’ve been liking adsense more and more since understanding it & making it work…but I agree it probably wouldn’t do too well on your sites.
I should probably do the same thing, I have pretty much keep every picture I have ever taken. I could put your list to good use for sure.
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I am a very sentimental person. I do keep all the pictures and even letters. But, If the pictures or letters will remind me of bad things or sad things that happened in my life I just throw it in the trash can or burn it.
I just want to say…nice pictures
:D)
I don’t want to delete pictures from the past, especially not those which bring me good memories.
Actually, I keep everything, from photos, to email messages and video.. I’m just afraid that I’ll regret throwing them away..
Anyway.. great blog! I’m a first time visitor but I’ll be back sometime for sure!
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I have kept the picture of my first love.We lost connection after we graduated from middle school.Luckily,7 years later we met again and gave our love confession to each other.
I am the opposite of a pack rat, but this is something I have a hard time getting rid of. I take TONS of pictures…of everything, really! But it’s true, I am sure there are many that I can get rid of like blurry random ones that mean nothing to my collections. Thank you for the helpful selection.
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