Confessions of a pack-rat

I really, really hate packing with a passion. It's hard to box up all your worldly possessions, but it's more than that. I am a true pack-rat, and as such I save everything -- because, you know, I might one day fit into my favorite dress from high school, and these magazines from 2001 would be great for class collages, and that college textbook may someday offer me wisdom, in spite of the fact that I have never opened it...
I've learned, though, that I'm really not all that practical. I just hate throwing things away. I'm incredibly sentimental, so those movie stubs are not just trash to me. They remind me of great times with my friends; now how can I throw that away?
I'm getting better. Packing everything I'll need for two years into two suitcases has a way of re-prioritizing my thinking. It's still difficult to say goodbye to things I love.
It's even harder to say goodbye to people. I'm trying to carve out time to see as many people as possible before I go, but I know that realistically I can't see everyone. I hope you know that you are all important to me. You're worth more than ticket stubs and birthday cards -- and to me, that's a lot!