To Keep or Not to Keep

To Keep or Not to Keep: (Audio)

It started several years ago, and has crept into my schedule of weeding through my fragile collection of stuff and making hard decisions on what goes, what stays, and where do I put it! It has nothing to do with running out of storage room, but more with the thought that if I’m not touching it, then perhaps someone else could make better use of it.

Some will be recycled through donations. Some will be sold online. Still, some will be given to a new home to someone who needs something.

Today is a full schedule, hard press, push on, get’er done type of a day. It’s a “garage day” and not one of enjoying a project that builds something, rather, it’s a dismantling of too much stuff over too many years of accumulation.

Reality says, “It’s a 3-week job” but Desire whispers, “Let’s finish it now!” I suspect Reality will win out.

Too many years of stockpiling and storing life’s treasures (books, tools, gadgets and leftover supplies from prior projects) have brought me to the point of sorting, storing or piling up for some form of recycling, and making sure what I keep is what I need. And what I recycle is not something I’ll have regrets over.

When we relocated from Alaska, it was a quick move. Instead of months notice, it was about 2 weeks. There was no time to filter through the treasures, rather, the movers showed up and packed everything! They even packed garbage. Literally! They packed packaging supplies! Broken things that were in a recycle pile were packed.

Some of the final stuff I still have to weed through, these 14 years later, is the 50 boxes of books! Buried inside are treasures and memories and keepsakes. Every box opened is like unwrapping a Christmas gift and sorting through the stored memories of a by-gone era.

I remember when we sorted through my grandparent’s leftover stuff. Very little had deep value and most was simply a surface kind of memory and value. Mom is sorting through her belongings and passing treasures around so we can enjoy them now.

The real memories are what we treasure in our hearts and mind. Memories relived and shared around a campfire, or across the table enjoying the fellowship of someone who understands the past, well, let’s just say there’s no better time to be found!

“The past beats inside me like a second heart.” ~John Banville, The Sea

Here’s my thought for the day. Instead of focusing on stuff to fill your memories, focus on people and events because that’s something no one will ever take away from you.

I read of a family traveling the world via their personal sailboat. Everything they needed (not wanted) was stored in a particular place on this small vessel. When port hopping and some new trinket caught their eye, they had to stop and consider what they would need to discard in order to enjoy something new. They realized, and as we all should, life is not made up of things, rather it’s stored memories of the things you enjoyed as you traveled through life.

As I wrap up this stage of my life, there are many treasures I will be unloading. Some will grudingly go into this pile, or that. Some will be shared to specific ones who will enjoy. Others will be kept until some future time it makes sense to let it go.

But the memories of all will be stored deep into my mind. Relived and enjoyed down life’s trail.