It's a Little Stuffy in Here

Without going into an elaborate explanation of why this technically is or isn’t true, I’ll just say that I’m an only child and an only grandchild.  I’ll also say that I have no cousins.  All of this has changed within the last 4 years, but for simplicity, we’ll leave it at that.
 

With the above being stated, there comes the avalanche of “stuff”.  By “stuff” I mean, the various things that end up being passed down when someone of the older generations passes away.  “Stuff” flows downward.  Sometimes its good stuff, sometimes its weird stuff, but most of the time, it is “stuff”.  The question is what to do with this stuff?

I’m a great organizer.  I sometimes have trouble sleeping at night thinking about how to organize stuff (my stuff, your stuff, her stuff, his stuff, their stuff, etc.)  I also tend to play Sudoku and Search-a-words in my head, but that’s another topic entirely. 

As the only child, and only grandchild, and having no cousins, all the family “stuff” is in a continuous flowing motion toward me.  I’m kind of like a water detention basin.  Add my only son into the mix, and I realize that the stuff will eventually flow to him. 

I want to spare him the avalanche.

So begins the process of sorting the stuff.  Sorting involves tossing and/or donating lots of stuff (hey, I can’t keep every ceramic swan, can I?).  Thus enters the GUILT.  Guilt, guilt, guilt!  So, I pick some stuff to keep, and put into a box to look at once a year. 

Ahhhh!

So, what to do?  Seriously.  If it’s not the ceramic swans, wood carved ducks, novice paintings, then its jars and jars of buttons.  I have to get rid of the stuff.  I can’t keep it all, can I?