The Perks of Being a Pack Rat

I keep mostly everything. I am your A-typical Pack Rat. A habit I picked up from my father, and to the frustration of my mother or anyone else who has ever lived with me. Most people have a single junk drawer where they throw micellaneous things when they get sick of seeing them laying on the kitchen counter. I, on the other hand, have two junk drawers, a junk box, a junk closet, a junk bin- junk everywhere! I take this junk with me everywhere I go. It started off hidden under my childhood bed, to littering the floor of my dorm room, and to its current resting place- anywhere I can find room in my apartment. It takes up so much space it's like having a thrid roommate. I should start charging it rent.

What may look like junk to the untrained eye, is far from junk in my eyes. Most of it holds important meaning to me- pictures, love letters never sent, key chains from all over the globe (most places I've never visited), old clothes (that I wil never wear again) knick knacks, old ice skates, a collection of unmatched socks (in case I find their counterparts), my signed Dick Beondi picture (if you are from the Windy and remember Oldies 104.3- You remeber Dick), trophies, old report cards- you name it.

At times I like to look through my "junk". I have absolutely no intention of throwing anything away, but rather, this experience is trip in my own personal time machine. I get a chuckle looking at my old pictures and see how much I've grown, or how my friends and family have grown. I laugh at a letter from my 7th grade boyfriend professing his undying love. I get teary eyed upon finding an old friendship bracelet because the bracelt no longer holds the same meaning. I laugh at the grammatical errors and poor language in the story I wrote in kindergarten that actually garnered me an award for it! The tape that I thought would help me make it big- me singing along to Beatles songs on my parents Karaoke machine.

Most of these things go unnoticed or forgotten in my daily life. But that is part of the reason why I keep it all. For the times when I can go back in time and remember them. These are the things that make up my life, my memories and my exsistance and I wouldn't get rid of this "junk" for anything in the world.