The Things I Keep (That I Probably Shouldn’t)

I’m sure everyone has accumulated stuff over the years. Things you probably didn’t need or rarely used. Well, I did. And I decided it was time to do something about it. I set out to clean it all out.

Instead, I mostly just moved it around.

I started with one corner of the shop. Not a full clean, just the kind where you move a few things from one pile to another, sweep half the floor, and then decide you’ve done enough to feel productive. By the time I was finished, the corner looked slightly different, but nothing had actually left the building.

That’s when I noticed something I’ve known for years but never really admitted out loud.

I keep things I probably shouldn’t.

Not sentimental things. Not heirlooms. Just... stuff.

Take boxes, for example. I can’t throw away a sturdy box. Boot boxes, tool boxes, those thick cardboard ones with the little magnetic flap. If it closes nicely, I’m keeping it. Doesn’t matter that I have no idea what I’ll put in it. Doesn’t matter that I already have a stack of future storage solutions currently storing absolutely nothing.

A good box feels like potential, and apparently I’m a sucker for potential.

Then there are the jars. Glass jars with lids from pasta sauce, pickles, salsa, you name it. I wash them, peel the labels, and line them up like I’m preparing for a winter of canning, which I absolutely do not do. I tell myself they’ll be perfect for screws or nails or leftover paint. And sometimes they are. But mostly they sit there, clear and empty, judging me gently.

I also keep those little bags that come with electronics, the ones with the drawstrings. I don’t know why. I’ve never once needed a tiny cloth bag for anything. But every time I open a box and see one, I think, well, that’s a perfectly good bag, and into the drawer it goes.

I’m convinced that if I ever disappear, someone will open that drawer and assume I was preparing for a very small, very organized heist.

And don’t get me started on twist ties. If a twist tie comes into this house, it’s staying. Bread bags, cables, toys, I save them all. I have a whole jar of them. Of course it’s a jar. I don’t even use twist ties. I just like knowing they’re there in case the world suddenly requires me to secure a hundred small things at once.

I’m not a hoarder. It’s just these odd little items that feel too useful to toss and too useless to actually use. They gather quietly in corners, drawers, and shelves, waiting for a purpose that may never come.

But here’s the thing. I don’t mind it.

There’s something comforting about keeping small, simple objects that might help with some future project or idea. Maybe it’s the same instinct that makes me keep cedar scraps or paint colors I’m not sure I’ll ever use again. It just feels like something that might come in handy someday.

And every now and then, one of those jars or boxes or twist ties actually does come in handy. Not often. But often enough to justify the whole operation.

So yes, I set out to clean it all out.

Instead, I reorganized it.

The boxes are still there. The jars are still there. The twist ties aren't going anywhere. But at least now I know exactly where to find them.

Until the next time I decide to get organized.