The document reflects on the author's experience with decluttering, contrasting their childhood memories of their father's packrat tendencies with their own journey of letting go of possessions during a move. It emphasizes the emotional relief and liberation that comes from discarding clutter, comparing it to the experiences of those who must quickly decide what to keep when relocating unexpectedly. The author also draws a parallel between physical and emotional baggage, suggesting that releasing both can lead to greater personal freedom.

1. Trash
Your
Junk!

2. When I was a kid, my mom would
always yell at my dad for being such a
packrat.

3. He'd had this irrational belief that he
needed to save every box that came
with every thing he bought, just in
case.

4. In the garage were TONS of empty
boxes, carefully stacked.

5. Once I moved from a place I'd been
living at for a while, to a place across
town.

6. I'd decided I was going to use the
opportunity to "streamline" all my
possessions.

7. Leading up to it, I was kind of stressed.
Even a little sad.

8. After all, I'd had all kind of junk stored
up (that I hadn't really looked at in
years).

9. But when I started pitching it all in the
garbage, it felt really, really good.

10. Pretty soon I was asking myself, "Why
the heck did I keep all this stuff?"

11. I've always been amazed at all the
people who migrate (for good) to
other countries.

12. Especially the ones who do so in a
hurry. They've got to quickly decide
what to take, and what to leave.

13. Unless you are forced to do this, from
either moving across town or moving
across the world, it's very EASY to
store up junk.

14. They've got those TV shows about
"hoarders" who have TONS of stuff in
their houses.

15. So much there's only a few trails
moving from the kitchen to the toilet
to their bed.

16. There's that one story of the two
Buddhists who were walking down
some country road.

17. They came across this gorgeous girl,
stranded on one side of the river. One
of them picks her up and carries her
across.

18. About an hour later, the other
(younger) guy says, "We aren't
supposed to have any contact with
women."

19. To which the older guy says, "Wow. I
put her down way back there but
you're still carrying her!"

20. All of us are carrying an ENORMOUS
amount of junk.

21. Junk that keeps us from getting what
we want, doing what we want, and
being who we want.

22. And it seems like it might be scary or
sad to get rid of it.

23. But once you start pitching it all in the
dumpster, it's pretty fun.

24. mindpersuasion.com/emotional-freedom/