IN THE RICE BOX: Confessions of a Hoarder

OLIVIA CHEUNG
Editor in Chief

Before we jump to conclusions, I’d like to clarify that the likes of me can’t be found on the popular television show Hoarders.

While the typical hoarder collects countless tangible items that are oftentimes considered trash, I instead have accrued hundreds of electronic drafts of everything I’ve ever written. Because of my preference for electronics, there are several USBs of various storage capacities neatly tucked into a shoebox hidden in the depths of my closet.

I’m an atypical, self-defined hoarder with a need to monitor my intellectual and personal growth (or lack thereof). Every draft marks a distinct point of my life when I was a distinct person. The person I am today is different from who I was yesterday and will be different from who I will be tomorrow.

Through these drafts, I’ve fully embraced the concept of change that I once vehemently rejected. I’ve been able to trace my evolving beliefs, courageously diverging from the standards that I once accepted as a naïve child and growing increasingly confident in the beliefs I’ve independently formulated.

Nowadays, I no longer make empty promises to friends and family about never changing. Instead, I ask them to hopefully accept the changes that will surely come and the new person that might come home tomorrow or next year. I no longer ask for someone else’s permission to grow into myself. I only ask for their support instead.