Purging the Past

Over the past two years since I have been on my own, sparse minimalism and relative order have ruled my domicile. It has helped me focus and work toward bringing inward order and peace. I am not finding that here. So the process of sorting and purging has begun. It is a daunting task. There are twenty-five years worth of memories and possessions to sort through. Already several loads of clothes, toys and linens have made their way to charitable donation centers.

Tonight, I begin to burn the paper trail to my past.



I can't think of a better way to start than with this "badly written," "poorly organized" paper with "no clear thesis." The grader regretted to say "it is a not a good paper."



Yes, I remember this class very well. Many students were very keen to find out the name of the grader in order that they might be able to express their "thanks" for his kind words and gracious grading. I was one of the lucky ones who was fortunate enough to get a C on this particular paper. The real kick in the pants was that I took this class as an elective and since my previous paper had only warranted a B -- lower than any other history paper I had ever turned it -- I put extra effort in writing this one.

Good-bye bad papers. Good-bye unclear theses. Good-bye regrets. Time to make room for the future.