9. It can be difficult when you are left to deal with the mess.
“My mother was a hoarder who never threw anything away. I was five years old when we moved into this house in 1990. After she died a few years ago, I attempted to clear out about 20 years of clutter. This included meat from 2002 that was defrosted (note: we had three freezers). I found medicines expired in the late ’80s in the kitchen cabinets. My parents never let me throw away those disposable plastic food containers because “they’re useful.” One day, I flipped and just threw them all out. In the kitchen, there were over 200, some of which were cracked and yellowed with age. There are currently cans, bottles, and packets of unopened food in the basement that have expired years ago and are full of bugs, which is a massive waste.
Last year, I spotted old bulk packets of bug-infested sweets and elementary school spring concert schedules, both of these memories in reverse chronological order. At the bottom, I discovered an unopened giant box containing a brand new microwave from the 1990s. I used it to replace our previous microwave, which was a 1970s behemoth with fake wood paneling and a broken light bulb that took pounding on the number pad to turn on. I’m not sure how I’m going to do this. I’ve tried to clean property, but there’s stuff that isn’t mine accumulated over the years. I’ve put in a lot of effort and have barely scratched the surface.
