#SongoftheDay Go Your Own Way (Fleetwood Mac)

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One big lesson I learned from all these Dutch decluttering videos I've been watching on YouTube is not to keep stuff that makes me feel bad. That's why I've been getting rid of all (most) of my books from university. They were super-expensive and I didn't always manage to do all my readings because I was simultaneously working full-time to put myself through school. So every time I looked at all these books on my bookshelf, I felt guilty for spending so much money on books I never read, guilty for not getting all my readings done, irritated that I had to put myself through school in the first place, and ashamed for having been such a lousy student.

Every time I looked at my bookshelf, that same wash of emotions came over me. 

Who would choose to live that way?

Well, I did for more than twenty years. But not no more! Once I recognized that those books were making me feel that way, and that--realistically--I was never going to read decades-old textbooks, I felt free to get rid of them all. 

Okay, not ALL. I kept a few of them, because I specifically remember that I DID read those books, and I remember the classes they were from and the professors who taught those classes. When I look at those particular books, I feel proud of myself. I feel proud that I went to university, when my parents and my grandparents and all who came before them did not. I feel proud that I was able to work to buy those books and pay my rent and pay tuition and, while I wasn't the best student in the world, I managed to get my degree. 

So I kept the books that made me feel proud. And I got rid of the books that made me feel like garbage.



If you're wondering how you can support me in bringing you songs and anecdotes, the easiest thing you can do is buy my books (most are for adults only!) or check them out from your local library. 

See you soon!
Giselle


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