I am going through my bookshelves (yet again) and it ain’t easy. Sure, I can read a paperback by a random author and then donate it or pass it on to a friend but those aren’t the books that I am having difficulty purging. So today’s blog serves as a written dialog with myself over books to let go and why I resist it.

Here are the books in question:

They are a set that my mother gave me when she got tired of them sitting on your bookshelf. I am sure she read them but I never have. They are “classics” like Gone with the Wind, Don Quixote, Pride and Prejudice. The ones on the upper shelf are leather-bound and gold embossed. So now I process:

Step 1- call Mom and ask if she wants them back (she said no)

Step 2 – why do I resist letting them go?

they are pretty and look nice on the shelf

they make me look like a smart, sophisticated reader (yeah right!)

they remind me of my childhood, I can see them on my mom’s bookshelf in every home we ever lived in

they’re the classics!!!

Step 3 – what’s the truth, Natalie?

the truth is I’ve never read them (I’ve read some of the titles but not in these books)

the truth is I thought my kids would read them during high school and they never did

the truth is they are not being used, I just dust them occasionally

the truth is having these books on a shelf does not make me smarter

Step 4 – do these books need ME?

No, can’t think of any reason why they would

[Sigh] So reading what I have written makes it clear to me that these books are not serving me (or my family). I have the memory of them from my childhood in my head (and if I looked through some old photos I am probably standing in front of the book shelves that held them for a cheesy photo).
So today, I resolve to purge them and let them go. I think I will post them on eBay or Half.com as a set and maybe someone else can admire them for a while…I hope this “dialog” through my own questions and answers about these books can help you with something you need to purge. Please leave me a comment; I’d love to hear about it.