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Ruth Stroud's avatar

What a huge challenge to move from Oregon to Florida. Your new digs look very pretty and green. And what a darling family you have!

I can relate to having a complicated relationship with things. I have it too. Staying in the same house for going on 30 years doesn’t help!

The psychology behind holding on to possessions is interesting. I wasn’t deprived as a child, though we didn’t live in luxury. My parents lived through the Depression, a world war, rationing and immigrating to a new country (twice for my dad), so they passed on the idea of holding onto possessions that hold meaning, partly as a way of holding onto people and places irrevocably lost. This makes it hard to part with a lot of what I inherited from them. I’m wrestling with that now! Thanks for bringing up a provocative topic and sharing your experiences, Hoang.

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Hoang Samuelson's avatar

That makes a lot of sense, Ruth. My parents also lived through a war. My mom told me that they had such little food when my second brother was born that she didn't even have enough breastmilk to feed him! So sad. I think I got the attachment problem from her. She didn't have a lot of stuff but she was always very frugal so she hated throwing away things even if they were cheap or used. She said you could always find a way to make it work! :-/ I'm trying to let go of this mindset, though it is taking some time...

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