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What is wrong with us? Why can’t we get rid of the clutter in our lives? Our homes, our offices, our coming and going are full of the trappings of a disorderly collection of stuff we do not need or have not used in years. We collect it over time, but never throw it away,

I knew a lady who bought purses but never used them.  Boxes and sacks of brand new, unused purses cluttered her bedroom, living room, and closets. Go figure.

The same was true with shoes.  She had more shoes than she or anyone else in her family could possibly wear, but they remained scattered throughout the house, unworn, awaiting someone’s feet.

Our attics, garage spaces, and rented storage areas grow by volumes as we are reluctant to toss away the stuff we gather. Why is it so difficult to organize that yard sale that would once and for all time make all the clutter disappear and pay for that new set of tires?

Are you able to find the clothes you want to wear or thought you bought in your closet? You know, the ones with the tags still attached? Can you walk to your car parked in your garage, or did you give up on that long ago with the prospect of having a clean car most of the time, protected from the elements, and parked instead in the driveway, a victim of stuff creep?

There is a name for this: hoarding disorder. People with hoarding disorder have persistent difficulty getting rid of or parting with possessions due to a perceived need to save the items. Attempts to part with possessions create considerable distress and lead to decisions to save them.

Perhaps there is an intrinsic meaning in the items we keep and cannot toss. We do not throw it away because it reminds us of sitting on our grandfather’s knee as a child as he smoked his pipe, or a memory of a precious moment about one of our children as they ate off that old high chair for so many meals.  Or holding on to Daddy’s shirt while riding on his tractor. Maybe a mother’s kind words in a moment of distress triggers a thought about her love and support.

What makes certain memories stick while others do not? The objects attached to those memories are perhaps too valuable to relegate to the garbage can or the recycle bin just yet. We hang on to the things so precious to us, reluctant to toss them. Nostalgia sometimes defines us, validates us, and keeps us attached to memories and meanings, and for that we may truly say, “That’s the way it oughta be.”

Alan Clark is a retired US Army Colonel, former Chief Technology Officer, Past District Governor of Rotary International, radio host and general manager, and holds a Doctorate in Education from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. His editorials have been published by Lakeway Publishers, Inc., and he is the author of several books and monographs. He was the recipient of awards for his editorials by the UT/Tennessee Press Association in 2019, 2021, and 2022.