Passing of the Junk(torch)

A wise woman who was traveling in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream. The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. She did so without hesitation. The traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. But a few days later he came back to return the stone to the wise woman.
"I've been thinking," he said, "I know how valuable the stone is, but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me the stone." "The Wise Woman's Stone" Author Unknown

I wanna be like this wise woman! Able to have no hang ups about letting go! We have been trying to be voluntarily simple for the last several years but it is hard to get rid of certain "things". So far I've tossed/donated mostly clothing, a few toys and furniture items, certainly not "treasures". I've got tons of books that need to go. Why is it so hard to get rid of a book?

At least my stuff doesn't multiply in dark corners like my mother-in-laws junk(above is just the tiniest tip of her iceberg). We are pretty good about not bringing in new stuff, it is just getting the old thinned out that's a hold up now. Maybe our stuff is a reminder that people are multi-faceted, not flat planes. Maybe our homes reflect that. I would at least like to be able to use my closet shelves for shoes instead of the assortment of goodies that occupy them now. Someday.