As an incoming freshman, packing for college is a very stressful endeavor. Having grown up in eternally sunny Los Angeles, moving to notoriously frigid Boston is a huge change. I have to figure out what is essential enough to take with me across the country. While doing so, I decided my room was past overdue for a nice cleaning. Not just a pick-up-the-stuff-on-the-floor-and-refold-the-clothes-in-my-closet kind of clean, but a thorough go-through-all-of-the-drawers-in-my-desk-and-deep-cleanse-of-my-whole-room kind of clean was necessary. Unsurprisingly, I found some stuff I thought was long gone. Discovering things from my past was wildly entertaining, but it also gave me a new perspective on how far I really have come.
1. My baby blanket
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve slowly lost track of the once most important item in my life. My baby blanket essentially lived in my hand, although it never left my house for fear of losing or ruining it (even at a young age, I knew exactly the kind of person I was). Years later, this blanket reminds me of all it has seen and all it hasn’t. Now, it’s time to move on and say goodbye to those parts of my past.
2. Endless amounts of shirts from middle school musicals that somehow still fit
No matter how big I get, those old t-shirts somehow grow with me. It’s fun to read all the names on the back and remember who was in those shows with me. And, if I’m being totally honest, Facebook stalking them years later is fun too. Even though I stopped acting in shows, I'll always have the amazing memories I made during them.
3. Old “journals” (I refused to utter the word diary)
Nothing can make you feel better about how much you’ve matured than reading old journal entries (or how embarrassing old crushes are). I’m glad I don’t still get upset stuff as petty as who sits with who at the lunch table. Even though it's nice to see how much I've grown, I still have to remember there is so much more growing to do.
4. Eighth-grade Call of the Wild essay
Wow. Just wow. Thank you, high school English teachers, because that was abysmal. Hopefully, by the time I graduate I’ll be able to say the same thing about what I write my freshman year of college.
5. Spice by Spice Girls
Tucked away in my teddy bear CD booklet is the very first album I ever owned. Even though it was released two years before I was born, my sister loved the Spice Girls, therefore I loved the Spice Girls. I have some pretty great memories of our dance parties to "Wannabe," or jamming out to "Who Do You Think You Are" in the car.
6. Old sheet music
I used to be a pretty avid cellist. Ever since quitting orchestra, I told myself I would still practice as much as I used to. Unfortunately, that did not happen. After I found my favorite piece, I decided to sit down and see if I still had it. I learned that I definitely do not.
7. My Sharkboy and Lavagirl poster
Before Zac Efron, Dylan O’Brien, or the Hemsworth brothers were famous, there was Taylor Lautner’s genius as Sharkboy. I must’ve watched that movie 50 times just to watch him kick George Lopez’s robot butt. While my taste in movies has become slightly more sophisticated, I will always enjoy Sharkboy's dream song.
8. A stack of unread books
Whether I was busy with homework, rehearsals, school events, or whatever else I was doing, the books I said I would read “next weekend” or “this summer” just never ended up getting read. Maybe one day I’ll get around to reading my copy of Slaughterhouse Five, but that day is not today.
9. My passport
Adulting is hard, but I do know that having an up-to-date passport is pretty important. Plus, who knows, maybe I’ll need it while studying abroad.
10. Way too many pencils
Every August, I’d go with my mom to Target and buy whatever school supplies I thought I needed. The pens and pencils I thought I kept losing at school apparently disappeared in the backs of my desk drawers. Anyone need a lifetime supply of pencils?
I highly recommend going through all of your belongings. You'll realize how much stuff that you don't need or use piles up and becomes unnecessary clutter. Or you may just find that one pair of shoes you've been looking for.
