I'm pretty sure that majority of us are hoarders, we all hoard one thing or the other but some people hoards too much. They hoard to the point that they keep irrelevant things.
Image is mine
**Have I ever been close to a hoarder? **
Yes, I have and that person was my mom.
Growing up I can remember my mom keeping everything and anything, no matter how irrelevant that thing is, she will always keep it. She keeps used attachment for making hair, she kept old newspapers, she made is keep our finished note books and text books telling us that our younger ones will use them (what will someone use old finished note books to do). Most of the the books she kept were practically useless, no one used them, even text books were useless because they always bought another one for the next child so what is the point of keeping them why not dispose it.
Althoigh the old newspapers were useful at some point but it was just too much, it was too much to the point that the room was always smelling damp. The attachments she kept, she said we will use it to make out hair when we want to make it (bear in mind that we were all on low cut) none of us were making our hair except our last born and how many attachments can she use.
To my mother, these things will be useful. I didn't see the reason why she kept most of what she kept because why keep text books and note books when you will buy another one, why keep so much newspapers when you won't use all, why keep so many attachments when your children do not make their hair, why not keep what you need and have space. Even clothes we don't wear and the ones she doesn't wear she always kept them.
*What impact did this leave me with? *
As I grew older and got into the university, I didn't want to live like my mom did, keeping irrelevant things. I only keep what I need and know that I want.
Even as I have children, I don't keep irrelevant things. I prefer to live my life lightly with very little things that I know I need than have a lot of things that I don't need.
My mother's hoarding spirit taught me to be self-aware of what I allow to clutter my outer and inner spaces. By surrounding myself with what is necessary and brings joy.