Attic Night

A few weeks ago my wife found pictures of my ex-girlfriend and I from a little over 10 years ago, not to mention letters from my ex to me during basic training. I’ve had this stuff for a very long time; it’s been in a certain box in every attic space and storage space ever since and throughout all my moves. My wife was very angry when she found all this stuff and has been holding it against me for a few weeks now, and I can’t wait for it to get back to the ways they were. We have two kids ages 4 and 2, and they’re great.
Tonight I went through the box of all my ex-girlfriend history and put each photo and letter and anything linked to my ex into a black garbage bag. I had to sort through it because some letters were from family and friends to me during basic training which I will not get rid of. Oh, and the time I was with the ex was from about 1997-1999, then just crappy long distance fights for the next few years. It wasn’t until I got to Germany when I fully got out of that relationship. I even got to sort through some pictures of when I was a kid, and all the GREAT times I had in the Deutschland. And I WILL NOT toss any of my Germany history in the garbage. Anyway, as I sorted all what is now garbage, I climbed down from the attic with the black garbage bag and stuffed it in my locker till I can burn it sometime this weekend.
But one thing that made me realize it’s a new time in my life was when I came in the house, (it’s now 1 a.m.) was when I checked on my boy and girl to make sure they’re sleeping alright. I’m not sure what I felt just then, but it kind of was a sense of putting things in the past where they belong and realizing that it is what’s in front of me right this moment is what really matters…