Last year my most beloved pet parrot died, and I was devastated for a long time. (If any of you feel like saying, "Just a bird, go get another one" -- please don't. I have three other small parrots; they're as individual as people.) I always used two old beach towels to cover her cage at night and another old beach towel to cover her small travel cage whenever we had to go someplace.
For almost a year I've kept her travel cage with the beach towels folded on top in the same place. A week or so ago as I was decluttering I moved the cage into another room and I decided to go ahead and donate the beach towels. I'll never be able to use them without thinking of her, and I had to have another good cry just picking them up.
Sunday I piled up the car with donation stuff, including the towels, and went to the nearest Goodwill. But I just couldn't quite let go of those towels yet. I sat in the car for a long time, convincing myself it was silly to hold onto them since I'll never use them again and they only make me sad. But in the end I just put them back in the car and went home.
They're in the back seat of the car now because I'm not in the "mood" to pick them up and put them back in the house yet and since I've been decluttering there's really no "home" for them anymore -- although I could make one.
Clearly I need more time, I guess, though it doesn't make much sense why. I have her ashes and pictures/videos and so on, and she's been dead near a year now; why is it so difficult to give up three old ratty beach towels?
