Question, do you guys delete emails?
I do, and my friends think that it's weird.
The other day I was talking to my friends and they made a comment that I am weird because I delete my emails. For the record I don’t think its weird, but their comments had me thinking.
I delete emails because if I don't need them then why should they be wasting space. When I informed my friends of this they laughed. Did I think I was going to run out of space in my inbox? And what if I needed an old email?
However, it's not about running out of space it's about wasting space. Also, it not like I delete everything. My system is delete anything I am sure I will not need, like promo emails, and delete everything that is over two years old. My thought process is, if I have not needed that email for two years I will probably not need it anymore. There are a few exceptions to that rule, for example I do not delete emails about my student loans. I will not delete student loan emails until I paid it off, or if the government forgives it. Even then I will probably still keep some copies for my records.
That is all to say I have a process, but their comments had me thinking because I think like them in every other area of my life.
I always find space to cram thoughts and emotions in my brain. I think well my brain is not going to run out of space. I don't throw things out because what if I need them one day, even if I have not used it in ten years.
I looked around my life and though maybe I should start deleting. Why not go through all areas of my life like I go through my email? Answer because I am afraid. I am afraid that I will delete something important.
Nevertheless, I have to do it. We have to do things that scare us all the time, but we do it because it's important. Plus, if I have not used it in over a decade it is unlikely I will ever really need it.
It's important to only save items that lift us up. So, as we go into this new year I will start mass deleting. That means I will go through all my stuff and I will throw away items I don't use. I will start trying to process those events and emotions I have buried in my brain. I might have to go back to therapy for that, but if that's the best decision for my mental health I will.
And so my fellow travelers on this path called life, I challenge you to delete things that you don't need. You don't have to mass delete like me, but start will one thing and go from there.
PS. This picture comes from a bad year, and most of that year needs to be deleted cause it's weighing me down. However, the memory attached to this photo, that gets to stay.
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