this afternoon i emptied out the bottom drawer of my filing cabinet, & consigned about a third of the contents to the recycling bin. i decided i could live without numerous rejection letters, payslips for columns i wrote in 2002, copies of my CV from the last century, statements of rates & insurance payments for the house i sold in 1995, & paperwork for my time(s) on the unemployment benefit in the 1980s.

i know what you’re thinking – you’re aghast that i’ve kept all this stuff for this long; you’re amazed that rusty paperclips, silverfish and rising damp haven’t dealt to the accumulation already (actually i only suffer from the first of those blights); & you’re laughing because you know that the bottom drawer of the filing cabinet is only the tip of this hoarder’s iceberg … but hey, it’s a start! i’ve been ruthless! (by my standards anyway). & i feel good – lighter – slightly … & not too daunted by all the other drawers, cupboards, and boxes under the bed …