6 Things I’m Not Getting Rid Of at 40

As I approach my 40th birthday in a couple of weeks, I have a few goals: Spend my big day with my childhood best friend and her family, take out the kayak I got myself as a gift, and do a big decluttering of stuff I don’t need. After I consigned some too-short dresses and said thank you and goodbye to kitchen gadgets I don’t use, I looked around my house and saw some items that, admittedly, aren’t a necessity. In a fire, they wouldn’t be near the top of my list of things to grab. 

However, as I reach what some might call “middle age,” reclaiming some of the items of my youth not only makes me feel young again, but also makes me feel happier overall. Here are six things I’m not getting rid of at 40. 

Due to needing all new spark plugs in my minivan, I had a loaner from the mechanic and (cue music) I’ve had the time of my life listening to my burned CDs from 2007 (which do include mixes with “(I’ve Had) The Time of my Life” from the Dirty Dancing soundtrack).

I also have several albums on CD that aren’t on streaming platforms. It’s a travesty that the original cast recording of The Wiz isn’t on Spotify, but less so because I have it, as well as the insert with all the lyrics. I can imagine other types of music buffs might also find some rare gems among their CD collections. They might not age in a way that makes them cool again, like records, but I’m glad to have access to the music. 

Surprisingly, my kids started pulling my photo albums out recently. They’d never do that with an online album. I have scrapbooks from high school and college with pictures of their “aunties” and other guest stars in their lives (“Is that grandpa?! He has hair!”). They also love looking at the pictures of themselves. When my kids were little, I was pretty good at making printed, themed books every few months, so we have a nice collection of semi-professional photo books for my kids to flip through. When they laugh at my silly little captions, my heart soars.

From a historical standpoint, I would like to make sure I can digitize the photos from when I was young and also any of my family that might not also be in the physical photo set at my parents’ house. So, keeping the albums and even the shoebox full of random shots from my 20s seems worth it.

I’ve revisited this hobby lately of listening to audio books and coloring. I get chronic migraines, and screens make them worse. As a way to cut down on how much time I look at my computer screen, I’ve been coloring while in Zoom meetings. I still look up and participate when needed, but I look less at the screen in an absent way.  

My kids have been given so many coloring books and types of markers and pencils, and I also have “adult coloring books” and more high-quality markers and pencils left over from when I tutored. I also recently discovered reverse coloring books where the color is on the page and you add patterns with a black pen. Of course, any coloring book or colored page can be “reversed” so I’ve been enjoying going through my old colored-in pages and adding in detail. 

Now that my old journals are organized, I feel more strongly than ever that I’m never, ever getting rid of these gems. My kids like reading the ones from when I was their age, I like reading my own foibles of early crushes and heartbreaks, and I do someday want to digitize them for a creative writing project or just posterity. I don’t fancy myself a future historian, but these artifacts are kinda fascinating. 

If you’re not a theatre kid like me, you might have another equivalent, but my Playbill collection is one of my most treasured ways to walk down memory lane. Turns out, when I was in high school I saw the future George Washington (Christopher Jackson) from Hamilton in his first Broadway role in The Lion King! And I have physical evidence of seeing the pre-Broadway run of Wicked (with the original cast!) on my 18th birthday. Now that’s a great brag. I like going back and seeing the many shows I’ve loved and enjoyed. 

I also have programs from plays I was in, choir concerts, and local performances. Before they went all digital, I had ticket stubs to plays and movies and loved seeing the evidence of the three times I saw Moulin Rouge and The Matrix in theatres. 

I will admit that I got rid of most of my heels. It’s just not going to happen! However, after recently dropping $65 on a pair of black converse for my older kid, I realized I should never have gotten rid of my beat-up black converse (which are a mere one-size bigger than the ones my kid is currently in). Holding onto old shoes, even if they have a “weathered” look, is turning out to be a good idea, as the trending style of today is pretty close to what it was when I was in high school. If I don’t wear them, perhaps my kid will in a couple months when their feet grow again.