Getting Rid of Signifiers of Self

I just got rid of my Compact Oxford English Dictionary.  Put it in a box of things to discard.  This dictionary, composed of two massive volumes written in teeny type, has been an important part of my life.  It has been more than a book to me; it represents memories and identity.  I remember sitting around with old friends and my ex-husband when we were all in our early twenties, discussing word origins.  Many years later, when my ex-husband and I divorced, he got the dictionary, since he'd been the one who originally ordered it as a sign-up bonus through some book-of-the-month club when we were only nineteen and twenty years old. 

After the divorce, I wanted my own copy. I see now that I wanted to assure myself that even though I was no longer with my ex-husband, thinking about words and their origins was still an important part of my life.

I've since remarried and my new husband and I often discuss word origins and relationships. I've come to realize I don’t need those massive volumes sitting on my bookcase gathering dust for me to still be interested in language and to discuss words with other people.  That isn’t to say I don’t need access to dictionaries.  I do need that, and I can get it online. What I don't need is an object in my environment to reassure myself and communicate to others what kind of person I am.