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What: # 94 Offer to help clean/paint at a friend’s house

Where: Transit Street, Providence RI
When: August 6th

The cluttered backseat of our car 
on a recent road trip!

Why: My college roommate and I shared a room together for four years, and in that time, we both recognized our mutual love of random clutter. It always was an object that held special meaning or was an article or item behind an inside joke, so it was hard to get rid of pieces of this clutter over the years because it is like losing the memory it evokes. The emotional attachment is a very powerful force. So, when tasked with helping her to clean her current apartment after the departure of her roommate, I went in with emotional blinders and just tried to surgically detach her from a lot of her stuff. This was not the right approach, but when I realized I could help by providing my assistance with simply reorganizing shelves, boxes, items into groupings, and a system of maintaining that organization, it was a much more successful venture. There is so much value in keeping healthy memories alive, the ones that make you smile, laugh, and that bring a positive wave of emotion. And thankfully, she is good at keeping a lot of those memories alive to document the years of our friendship and the crazy moments along the way!