Go Anywhere, Give Up Everything (or, I'm Having the Urge to Purge)

Lately I've been giving a lot of thought to what I might do if the restaurant closes. We've only been open two months but I just don't see how we are going to make it. A coping mechanism I've used is to think about what I'll do with my life if we do shut down.

I've mentioned in the past a desire to move to Tampa, Florida. That desire is as high on my list today as it has ever been. But simply moving isn't enough. My desire is more about starting over that just taking the life I have now and moving it to a new place.

With that, I've been working on a mantra I call "Go Anywhere, Give Up Everything." It's really quite simple: I don't want my worldly possessions to weigh me down. Back when I worked at my corporate sales job and I was on the road three weeks out of the month, I played a game with seeing how little I could pack in my suitcase. How liberating it was to have one small piece of luggage with everything I needed for a week.

That got me to thinking: if I had to cram everything into my car (or worse, into a single suitcase), what would I bring?

So, I'm on a new mission. Even if things work out with the restaurant, I want to live a very simple life, free of unnecessary clutter. I want to declutter like I've never decluttered before. Here are some of the things I'm getting rid of:

• Most of my school yearbooks. I have one for each grade. Since I was heavily involved in extra-curricular activities, including the yearbook staff, I might save my senior class yearbook for sentimental reasons. The other 11, however, will probably go.
• Lots of clothes. Right now I wear the same uniform every day, so most of my clothes aren't being worn anyway. But if the restaurant closes, will I even need most of the clothes I own? I've been so frugal that I have worn the same polo shirts for 10+ years, and many of them show their wear. Using my "fit everything into the car" rule, I know I'd have to leave many of my clothes behind.
• Books I've been meaning to read. I've purchased a lot of books at Dollar Tree over the years, thinking I'd read them one day. What I think I will do is write down the names of those books in case I do decide to read them and check them out of the library when the time is right.
• Garage clutter. I've got four shelves in my garage full of stuff I use for my properties, cleaning supplies for my car, etc. Now that warmer weather is here, it's time to go through everything and slim down the shelves.

Is it normal to be so excited about getting rid of things?