It’s tax time. Our accountant called to ask for another piece of paper. The regular drawer in which I stow stuff to do with mortgages is stuffed with large folders from various mortgage and title companies that we have dealt with over the last decade. Couldn’t find the paper—took out everything and slowly sorted through each folder—thinking that maybe the paper got stuck in with another stack. Anxiety starts to build.

I start looking in another drawer, another filing system. This one contains recently paid bills, car insurance, health records, and stuff like that. Thought maybe that paper would be in with the mortgage payments—no paper. Although I am quite aware that I could call the title company and get another copy, this quest is getting too important. By now, my heart rate has increased and my mind is quickly filling with obsessional thoughts: “What if I die and my kids have to sort through this mess?” and “What’s wrong with me that I can’t remember where I put that paper?” Then, “Am I getting early dementia?” Finally, “If I make it though this, I vow to get better organized!”

Chuck finds the paper. It was stuck in the drawer next to the mortgage drawer that has all the manuals for our many electronic devices, computers, and appliances. We scan it off to the accountant. Whew.

Most people have lots of stored papers. People who are Hoarders find that throwing away certain things (depending on their particular condition) is almost impossible. Even if you don’t have anxiety or OCD or a tendency to hoarding, throwing papers away can be pretty scary. It’s a great idea to get rid of stuff before it gets to be overwhelming. If you don’t have a good filing system, then at least you can limit the number of papers you need to sort through. I went to IRS.gov and found publication number 552 revised 02/2010 helpful. With the information from the IRS in mind, and consistent with my vow, I marched off to another of our storage areas filled with old papers.

My goal—fill up an empty 40-pound dog food bag with papers. The first box I ran into was filled with old papers from my graduate school years. Now why do people keep their old essays and research papers? Is it because we fear that someone is going to ask us for proof that we really completed that class? Or do we think that we will actually use that paper again for something? Well, there’s no reason. So, I bravely emptied ¾ of a box of dusty papers typed in some unfamiliar font. But, then I saw my paper describing the theoretical orientation toward psychology that I ascribed to—a 50-page paper I had written as part of my comprehensive exam. I couldn’t toss that. Two hours later after reading it I decided to save it for another few years.

Now on to the next box. Oh. My son’s swimming ribbons and trophies. He told me to throw them away a few years after he graduated from college. That was, well, some years ago. Okay, here’s the one from when he was 11 and he swam the finals at the statewide meet. This is hard. So I threw away all the ribbons and kept the trophies. Maybe he’ll want those trophies one day. Or maybe when I die and he sorts out the stuff—he’ll see the trophies and remember some of the fun.

You see, our brains easily take old ribbons and pieces of paper and turn them into items of monumental importance such as death, life, or taxes. We all tend to make more out of things than we need to. But maybe that process is simply part of being human. Something to ponder during this tax season…

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    Last reviewed: 9 Mar 2010