“Just toss it!” is the rallying cry of these weeks. But some items we simply can’t bring ourselves to discard. 9 writers share

Every year, before Pesach, I try to declutter. I do!

But, just so you get the picture, when a friend wanted to borrow my book on home organization and decluttering for those with ADHD, I couldn’t find it. A massive search located it under a bed.

What I work harder at is making Pesach cleaning spiritual. The cleaning out of the yetzer hara. That speaks to me far more than spring cleaning. And yet, every year, I look at, think about, debate, and ultimately ignore my old diaries in the closet.

I want to throw them out along with the chometz. They feel like chometz. Life before teshuvah and all that entails.

Every time I travel, when I check in with the friend who has marching orders to destroy those diaries in case of my sudden demise, chas v’shalom, she asks, “You still have those? Are we going to go through this every time you go on a trip? What are you waiting for?!”

But throwing out a diary? Isn’t that like throwing out the proverbial baby with the bathwater? Isn’t that like throwing away… me?