rotate.

move.  change.  prioritize and eliminate.

let go.  give away.  wash down the drain. 

its hard.  but its not as hard as people say it is.  the natural process of creation, destruction, creation, destruction.

i could have been a hoarder.  i probably am, deep down in my heart.  but over the years of constantly moving, constantly changing, with financial restrictions at play, i have learned. 

i have learned that there will always be another picture frame, pillowcase, couch, album, and believe it or not, there will always be another friend.

hoarders often call themselves collectors.  i have called myself a collector.  mostly of typewriters, but occasionally of friends.  the problem with hoarding/collecting anything is that the value of each item becomes lost to the individual's need to have more of the same thing, and the original happiness that came with having one typewriter for each of its flaws and eccentricities and mechanical beauties, is overshadowed by the sheer mass of so many typewriters in one place.

is it so with friends? 

do i(we) lose the value, and in turn opportunity, in each one of our individual friendships by getting caught up in the romance of having so many? 

i gave away several typewriters last time i moved.  i kept the ones that i appreciated only on an individual basis, not as part of my collection. 

i think it may be time to do the same with my collection of friends.

sounds horrible, i know.  but the truth is that one man's trash is another man's treasure, right?  sometimes things or people come into your life for a season, to help you, teach you, learn from you, grow you, impress you, deflate you, propel you forward in this life.  And when the season is over, its time to let go, both for your sake, and for theirs.  They can continue doing those things with someone else... and so will you. 

and so will I.