[dropcap]W[/dropcap]e all have a list of things we wish for, whether it's hosted on Amazon.com, Simplenote, or in a tidy Moleskine. When I'm bored, I usually clean things. This evening I started with my iTunes library and have worked my way into my Amazon wish list. But I've found it so hard to click delete.

It's always easy to click the "Add to Wish List" button because there's nothing monumental about the decision. You're basically saying "Yes, I'll buy that eventually". The problem is that those little choices build up a full inventory of items you hope to one day obtain. Are they necessary? No, but you tell yourself they are when you go to delete them. This is the problem I'm facing.

Before deleting anything, I added a new album to my wish list: Shake! Shake! Shake! by Bronze Radio Return. It's not something I'd like to buy digitally because I enjoy most of the songs included, so I want a physical copy. My wish list is full of physical CDs, but most of them aren't for the reason I just gave. Instead, I have a hope of one day collecting all these discs so that they may rest peacefully in my cupboard, though that's not exactly what ends up happening.

"The hardest part was letting go — not taking part."
Instead of me purchasing said CDs, I typically put it off to a later date (like with many other things in my life). I keep saying, "Oh yes, buying that later won't be a problem." It's always nice to save money for things, after all. At least, that's what I said when I started a list of "things" I strived to procure. Now I'm realizing that it was all a big waste of time.

If I'm going to buy something, it should be now, unless it's vastly expensive and absurd to even consider at the moment (e.g. an LG Nexus 4 to play around with). Otherwise I shouldn't waste my efforts adding such debris to my wish list. It's only going to make for a longer cleanup job later on.

My question is, why do we always make lists of what we want, whether they're mental or pages long? (Mine is just an example; everyone likes to collect one thing or another, even if it's a more familiar commodity like currency. And we even make a list of places we'd like to visit [for the experience].) We do always need goals in our lives, else we'll not have something to move toward, but that's no reason to waste hours shopping, browsing, and coveting our way into creating a superficial "wish list". Maybe it's time to reevaluate.

For me, the hardest part is thinking about what I don't need because I want it all. I just need to ask questions like "Will I actually read that book?" or "Is an expression pedal something I'll use on Sunday nights?" What's your greatest fear of deleting a wish?