Our lives are already so fleeting that intentionally forgetting memories can be devastating. Still, it’s important not to beat ourselves up over these decisions. It’s hard to know what we’ll find valuable from our pasts as we grow and change as people. I used to write dense, hand-made books comic books when I was young and amassed a large collection of my own silly stories. I recycled them all out of worry that future me would find them too embarrassing to hold on to, and was doing them favor by throwing them away early - boy do I regret that decision. It wasn’t until many years later though did I realize how important that loss was after gaining the self confidence to better appreciate myself and my interests. The few things I still have help ground me in a continuity of who I am and how I got here to remind me I’ve been a person long before and will (hopefully) continue to be after this moment in time.