Cradle to ..... ?

It wasn't until after I tidied my room that I realized the heaps of "garbage" that have been squatting in my crib. Like many people around me, I hate throwing away stuff because it denotes, or seems like, an ending and a farewell to precious memories. And as the garbage people who will ship away what was once my properties, my physical ties with these objects will also perish in eternity.

No matter how much a risk taker you consider yourself to be, no one truly enjoys the feeling of snapping out of an old habit or situation. And it seems all too painful when one loses someone close, ends a long term relationship, moves to a new condo, or simply when one has to clear out a closet. Now staring at my once beloved childhood board game that is quietly lying on top of a pile of cluttered scrap paper and dated bank statements inside the black bin bag, a mixture of bewilderment and joy come rushing to me. On the one hand, I am mesmerized by the happiness that it once delivered; on the other, I am ambivalent about whether I should rescue it from a place where it doesn't seem to belong or allow it to finish its journey with other "genuine" junk.

Too often, we've heard of songs or read articles that tell us to let go, just way too often. All those "learn to let go before getting hold of something" SEEM and SOUND right, yet should we become its entourage? Well, things come and go, same as life, same as an era, a dynasty, a kingdom, same as a celebrity's popularity, as well as a piece of clothing. But essentially, you can only own so much before it is done for. How many books will you stack up before throwing out some when you move out? How many t shirts can you wear for life?

Whatever has a beginning must also come to an end. By losing something, you are continuing on one of the many stories that you have started "writing", and by losing something, you are finding the right piece of puzzle that will help complete your experience because the memory is always here to stay (I'll exempt the ones with alzheimers). Now stuffing the garbage bag with old magazines, high school textbooks and collectables that I simply cannot see myself indulge in anymore, I am merely saying goodbye to the entities.

And as I took a trip down the memory lane, I was reliving the past while inhaling 21 June's air. What really counts is the piece of memory that becomes part of you.

Bye is never a bye, but rather a chance for new excitements and challenges :D