When I started sorting through the boxes, one of them had a big pile of university notes from when I studied history. I haven’t needed or touched those notes at all in years. I remember how when I boxed them away a couple of years after graduating, I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of them yet. But I had no issue letting go of them now.

I had a box with some extra souvenirs from when I lived in Japan too, which I also hadn’t been able to let go of when I first came back to the UK. At the time, even though I didn’t really have any use for them, they went into a box. But when I looked at them now, they didn’t carry the same sentimental charge for me anymore, and I was able to keep the things I wanted and give away the rest.

It made me think about how our feelings towards things shift over time. Sometimes we just need a bit of time to be able to see things more objectively. And sometimes we need to take that step backwards and create some distance when things feel overwhelming or too charged for us.

Can you think of a time having some distance or time from something shifted how it felt for you?

I also found some gems in the boxes. Although I was convinced that those boxes didn’t have anything I needed, as I went through them, I found hidden treasures I loved and was excited to rediscover.

For example, I found a small wooden cat I bought in my first flat as a student. I found some treasures from Japan that I’d  completely forgotten about collecting too – and so many other little things that are precious to me.

In the end, the process of going through the boxes was surprisingly fun – and moving too. It was interesting to see the difference in how I felt about some of the objects, and exciting and surprising to unexpectedly find a bunch of things I did want to keep. It felt cathartic too and special to have the chance to reminisce and sort through things I’d put away so long ago that I’d forgotten about them.

I felt relieved knowing I’d finally sorted through everything too. I feel lighter knowing I don’t have those boxes sitting there anymore and that they’ve been sorted through. Now I also have the chance to appreciate and use the hidden gems I rediscovered.

The experience of sorting through the boxes made me think about how we often have an expectation of how something will be in our minds. What we imagine can be quite two-dimensional though, and the reality of how something is tends to be more complex and nuanced.

With the boxes, initially, all I had in my head was the dread of going through them, but the actual experience when I did it was a lot more rich and complex.

I’d like to leave you with one final thought. Is there something you’ve been putting off doing, or sorting through, that you’d like to finally tackle too? If so, maybe there are some surprises in store for you as well.

If what I talked about today resonated, I’d love to hear your comments and what your takeaway is.