Last Sunday's paper contained an article titled "Living with only 100 things." Dave Bruno of San Diego has challenged himself to reduce his personal possessions to 100 things (with some admitted rule stretching). I was attracted to the article because as a result of recent and repeated instances of downsizing my mother's possessions as she moved from independent to assisted living, and from assisted living to skilled nursing, and, finally, to an Alzheimer's unit, my daughter has urged me to start getting rid of my stuff.

Out of respect for the fact that my daughter has answered every plea for help I have issued as I dealt with my mother's possessions, I have tried to get rid of some of the items clogging my apartment, but most of those items are books, and while I haven't read most of them, I may want to some day. Even Dave of the "100 thing challenge" stretched the rules when it came to books and lumped them all as one thing: his library. If I did that, I could easily get down to 100 things.

Unfortunately, it's my books that my daughter would like to see reduced in number. She doesn't see them as one thing but as the thousands of individual items they are. They fill an entire room and overflow into several bookcases in my bedroom and living room. Then there are the stacks on the floor because there aren't enough shelves. I tell her that unlike her grandmother, I have not stored money or family pictures in my books. All she will need to do is call a used book dealer and say, "Come get them."

In the past month, I have donated about six boxes containing approximately 150 books to various thrift stores. At one drop off location, I winced as the warehouse person lifted the boxes out of my car and bounced them onto ground during the unloading process. I worried about bumped corners and bent covers. I love books. Seeing them mistreated really put the brakes on my ability to let go.

While writing this, my eyes kept straying to a nearby bookshelf and a book titled Basic Macrobiotic Cooking. I can't tell you exactly how long I have owned this book, but it has occupied that specific shelf for at least a year. I have never used a recipe from this book, and I'm not into macrobiotics although there was a time I thought it would be interesting to try. As I looked at the book, I thought, "I will never use that book. I will put it in the donation box." With the intention of doing just that, I picked up the book. The subtitle, Procedures of Grain and Vegetable Cookery, sounded interesting, so I flipped through the book and was caught up in layered vegetables, granola, and yin and yang theory. I checked the copyright page and saw the book was a first edition. Then I thought about the information. What if someday I write a story with a main character who eats only macrobiotic foods? I need this book for possible research. It is now back on the shelf.

I'm with Dave; a library is ONE thing. But how about clothes? Are all those jeans and shirts I might be able to get into now that I am exercising again individual items that may need discarding, or can I label my clothes a wardrobe and keep them all?