This is a little embarrassing.
This week, I finally got rid of something we've been keeping around for well over a year. Yes, that's right, it came out here with us from VT. We actually took the time and effort to move... a box of throwaway documents.
It started small, just a credit card offer here, and a patient list there. (Identifying health care information that is confidential and should be shredded.) And before we knew it, we had a whole BOX full of papers. Just. Sitting. There.
We were going to buy a shredder. But never really got around to it. Then came the wedding registry, and now we've registered for one. So we thought we should just wait and see if one shows up, rather than go out and buy one. But what to do with all this stuff?
Finally, this week, I got fed up with the box. I am trying to clean which feels almost impossible with wedding stuff surrounding me, but I decided something had to be done. So on four mornings this week, I had an extra tote bag with me when I arrived at work. See, at the hospital every nursing station has a box marked "Confidential waste" where we put all of the paperwork that we throw out. Health care information is private so they have to provide the shredding boxes. So I showed up with my tote bag, and went over and dumped all the papers into it.
There is only a small-ish slot, so I have to put the papers in a few at a time. So it took a few minutes. But that few minutes each morning was so worth it! Now I am left with
And every time one of the nurses said anything about all the paper, I just said "Oh yeah, cleaned out my locker." And then I get the old, oh yeah, I know how that is. Ha! They should know that neither the hospital nor the anesthesia department cares enough about us to provide us a locker! But I got away with it. And now, I am one step closer to having the empty apartment, free of clutter, that I dream about daily.
