Halving Your Paperwork

I tackled my file cabinet first this morning during my attempt to finish halving my bedroom. I do this once a year anyway, usually around the time I file my taxes. I relish the fact that I get to throw away a year's worth of old tax papers (from eight years ago), and there's always something else to get rid of, too.

Here's the beginning pile:



And here's the pile of stuff that eventually landed in the trash:



Not half by any stretch of the imagination, but a pretty respectable showing, I think. Most of that pile represents tax documents from back when I ran a large daycare out of my home. Going through them brought back a lot of memories of the days when toddlers swarmed me and I almost always had a baby (or two) in my arms. I wish I had let myself enjoy it more. I had no idea how transitory that stage was going to be. It's been nearly five years since I shut it down and we moved out of California.

I'll admit that sometimes I avoid going through my stuff because I know I'm going to suffer bouts of nostalgia. Argh - who's got a baby I can snuggle!?!