I got rid of all my sentimental keepsakes. I've never felt better.

Today I opened a small plastic box I'd kept under my bed for years. It was full of sentimental objects: birthday cards from friends I'd lost touch with in high school, a pink quartz my mother gave me that was "for good luck," a bridal sachet bag my father confetti-bombed my then-fiancé and me with at the end of our wedding reception.<br><br>I hadn't opened the box in years. It was just taking up space.<br><br>I sorted all of it into three piles: recycling, trash, and keep. The keep pile contained two objects: the pink quartz, and a hand-painted wooden music box from my now-ex-husband.<br><br>The next day, I brought the keep pile to the only antique store in my small town that would buy personal objects that were in good condition. Up until this point in my life, I had always been afraid to let go of the objects that were my only remainders of relationships that had ended. But now I know it wasn't worth it. It was just too much trouble.<br><br>I had never felt so happy and free. I took the money I made and bought a book I'd been looking for for the past couple of weeks.