RSS FeedApr 14 2008
Letting Go of Books
“Holding on to old books doesn’t allow you to create space for new ideas and ways of thinking to come into your life.”
–Karen Kingston, Creating Sacred Space with Feng Shui
A few days ago I did the inconceivable. I turned in three car-loads worth of books and CD’s. It translated into $1000 trade-in credit. It’s a very rough estimate, but I’m guessing I brought over $8,000 worth of merchandise into the store. And I still kept over half my collection.
Clearly, I’m into books. And, as you can probably imagine, it’s not easy for me to let them go. I take pleasure in being surrounded by them in my home. I like the way they look. I like running my fingertips across their spines when I’m browsing for something to read. Their presence makes me feel like I’m surrounded by old friends.
My brother, Chris, was the one blessed with a near-photographic memory. Mine is only good enough to have a decent idea what book something came out of. I like having the actual source at my fingertips so I can go back and look up the pertinent points.
Even with the amount of pleasure I take in my books, I’ve always been a little mystified at how emotionally grueling I find it to cull my collection. I’d rather than give up my entire stash of Cadbury Flake than a book. Projects like BookCrossing are the stuff of nightmares for me. I mean, who, in the name of all things holy, willingly “sets a book free”??
In trying to formulate a plan for downsizing my belongings, I bought a few books on decluttering. (Yay! More books!) In one of them I came across a wonderful section talking about some of the most common reasons people resist getting rid of books. (I could tell you which one except I no longer have the books. Sniff.)
The explanation that felt the most emotionally-true to me is that some people associate books with the knowledge contained within them. On some unconscious level they believe that by giving away the book, they’re giving away part of their stockpile of knowledge. Bingo. I put high stock in knowledge and sure as heck don’t want to lose any I’ve garnered over the years.
Rationally, I know the information I found the most moving has stayed with me. I don’t need the aid of pieces of paper to retain it. And now that I understand what’s going on at an unconscious level, I’m willing to grit my teeth and try an experiment by letting going the less-cherished half of my collection.
Of course, I have the added motivation of needing to reduce some serious poundage of books in order not to overwhelm the float of my new house (which has, in fact, happened to a book editor in Seattle). I”ll be quick to note, too, that I didn’t let anything go that I would have trouble acquiring a new copy, should I find its absence too painful.
Just the same, I’m expecting serious withdrawal tremors to hit sometime soon. As it is, I’ve already caught myself reaching several times for books I’ve either packed or given away. It’s not a comfortable feeling, I tell ya. I’ll let you know how I hold up over time.
“Holding on to old books doesn’t allow you to create space for new ideas and ways of thinking to come into your life.”
–Karen Kingston, Creating Sacred Space with Feng Shui
A few days ago I did the inconceivable. I turned in three car-loads worth of books and CD’s. It translated into $1000 trade-in credit. It’s a very rough estimate, but I’m guessing I brought over $8,000 worth of merchandise into the store. And I still kept over half my collection.
Clearly, I’m into books. And, as you can probably imagine, it’s not easy for me to let them go. I take pleasure in being surrounded by them in my home. I like the way they look. I like running my fingertips across their spines when I’m browsing for something to read. Their presence makes me feel like I’m surrounded by old friends.
My brother, Chris, was the one blessed with a near-photographic memory. Mine is only good enough to have a decent idea what book something came out of. I like having the actual source at my fingertips so I can go back and look up the pertinent points.
Even with the amount of pleasure I take in my books, I’ve always been a little mystified at how emotionally grueling I find it to cull my collection. I’d rather than give up my entire stash of Cadbury Flake than a book. Projects like BookCrossing are the stuff of nightmares for me. I mean, who, in the name of all things holy, willingly “sets a book free”??
In trying to formulate a plan for downsizing my belongings, I bought a few books on decluttering. (Yay! More books!) In one of them I came across a wonderful section talking about some of the most common reasons people resist getting rid of books. (I could tell you which one except I no longer have the books. Sniff.)
The explanation that felt the most emotionally-true to me is that some people associate books with the knowledge contained within them. On some unconscious level they believe that by giving away the book, they’re giving away part of their stockpile of knowledge. Bingo. I put high stock in knowledge and sure as heck don’t want to lose any I’ve garnered over the years.
Rationally, I know the information I found the most moving has stayed with me. I don’t need the aid of pieces of paper to retain it. And now that I understand what’s going on at an unconscious level, I’m willing to grit my teeth and try an experiment by letting going the less-cherished half of my collection.
Of course, I have the added motivation of needing to reduce some serious poundage of books in order not to overwhelm the float of my new house (which has, in fact, happened to a book editor in Seattle). I”ll be quick to note, too, that I didn’t let anything go that I would have trouble acquiring a new copy, should I find its absence too painful.
Just the same, I’m expecting serious withdrawal tremors to hit sometime soon. As it is, I’ve already caught myself reaching several times for books I’ve either packed or given away. It’s not a comfortable feeling, I tell ya. I’ll let you know how I hold up over time.
