Again With The Books

Last Sunday I did the same thing I did the previous Sunday – took my book inventory to a diner and examined it over eggs and browns. A busy diner is not a distraction-free environment, but at least it’s better than the place where I have to work on sorting my stuff. Quieter, no internet surfing temptation, not physically surrounded by the stuff I’m trying to make decisions about.

The main problem I have with letting go of books is a desire to finish reading a book before discarding it. I don’t read much, only a couple of books a year. Most of the books in my collection were bought intending to read them but never found the time. Quite a few were started but not finished. To overcome this I should re-examine the (decades old) desire to read something in light of present circumstances. Or just numb myself to block the feeling and toss it anyway. Don’t let past interests get in the way of future endeavors. I am not a librarian.

Did I want to read a particular book because it was related to a topic of interest? For example an adventure story about sailing. If so, am I still interested in that topic? If the interest remains, will this copy of this book likely assist me in the future when I pursue the topic?

Books easy to let go of: duplicate copies, ones I don’t want anymore, ones that can easily be replaced. There are some about topics I wanted to research, which are interesting to me but not required in the future as reference material.

When I got back from the diner, made a conscious decision not to turn on the computer and check my latest auction results until I had done something with the books.

Piled them all up on the bed. Pulled out the definite keepers. Pulled out the ones that can be easily replaced and also the ones I can sell. Took what was left and sorted them by category. Got overwhelmed at this point and went outside to clean up the yard and look around, as this was one of the first warm days the year. When I went back in I did a rapid-fire sort like they do on Clean Sweep. Pulled out the books I am keeping just because I haven’t read them yet. Pulled out another box full of ones I can get rid of. Separated the reference books. Then I only had two books left in the pile that weren’t in any other category. Now I might be able to put my keepers, reference material, and these two leftovers in my box for books. The ones I haven’t read yet – gotta look through those and maybe skim them to decide further.

Impermanence

The idea that manufactured objects are permanent is wrong. Things that we possess are not unending artifacts, that once created must be protected and preserved against loss. We are not stewards of our possessions. They are tools to be used temporarily along the way on our life’s journey.

During a news video I saw about a particular military-style rifle, they mentioned that 100,000 of this model of rifle was sold each year in the USA. It got me thinking, “That’s a lot of guns! I wonder where they all go?” How many will be stored away in cabinets, how many lost in a lake on a hunting trip, broken and thrown away, or taken apart and recycled into other metal things? Most of the time we only see a product as it’s being advertised when it’s all new and shiny. They are remembered as advertised, not as they really are when rust and wear begin to consume them.

When I buy something and use it, the thing seems to become woven into the fabric of my life. If it’s damaged, then I repair it and the effort spent to repair it is an investment in that thing. An investment of time, attention and emotion. A scrape on a car bumper that is painted over adds character to the car. A favorite jacket that is torn during an accident can be stitched up, and there will be a story to tell, of me and my jacket and how we have both made it to this point. But at some point the car will wear out and the jacket will become threadbare. While the object itself fades, my emotional bond to it does not. How can the memory of an object’s service to my life be honored? Or does that even matter.

Gotta think of all things as disposable, replaceable, temporary. Fight the instinct to preserve all that is owned in the face of continual entropy. Nothing lasts forever.

Reducing Book Volume

Sorting through the books is hard because there are so many of them and holding each one in my hands brings to mind an unfinished project or a pleasant memory.  I need to find a way to decide what to discard without summoning those memories and feelings.  Maybe I can do this by taking an inventory, and then deciding what goes based only on the list.  The bankers boxes contain a total of 120 books.  Some I think I can let go right away, especially ones I’ve read that could easily be replaced.  Some I wanted to read when I bought them but never did – so not a great loss if I never read them.  Others I definitely do want to read, but can chuck them after I do.  Some reference books, and personal history type things I want to keep.  I should take the inventory away from here, to a diner and over lunch choose what to keep or toss.  Maybe put them into categories and only keep a certain number within each category.