Writers' Corner: Trash or Treasure
Have you ever looked around at your stuff and noticed there are some things so old you can’t even remember when you got them?
Our neighbors borrowed our ancient hedge clippers. I really don’t know where I got them. Had my dad handed them down to me? Did a previous neighbor give them to me before I moved here? I was surprised we even had hedge clippers to loan.
My sweet neighbor lamented to me that my clippers had died during use at her home. She was upset at the idea of having broken something she’d borrowed. She wanted to replace them with the exact model so I would not be inconvenienced. I couldn’t remember the last time I had used them.
She lost sleep searching the Internet to find replacement hedge clippers. I told her I would rather have her for a neighbor than a new set of hedge clippers.
We have a garage full of stuff we don’t use. If we got rid of it one hedge clipper at a time, we might be able to park a car in there in 12 years.
I am inspired by Facebook’s “No Buy No Sell” page. It’s allowed me to relieve our garage of extra pots, pans, mixing bowls, and cookie sheets. Towels also went to where they are used and appreciated.
I’ve finally gotten the dishes and cookware I always wanted, along with accessories to match my kitchen colors. I knew as a Home Ec major in high school, things should match. Forty-six years later, they do, down to a turquoise “Nessie” ladle, and a pie bird that matches our French press.
Some chipped crockery and vintage Pyrex hold pride of place in our kitchen. Those valued bowls are used for everything from popcorn to pizza dough. I know which I will choose by what I plan to prepare.
I’ve been admonished not to donate to Goodwill, particularly because things dropped there may either be sold at a profit or sent to a landfill. I can’t say that I know this to be true, so I take my surplus there, hoping they’ll take it. It’s possible some of the objects left in their care aren’t redeemable. Who wants threadbare bedsheets, or a 2002 book of Guinness World Records?
I’ve stopped going to garage sales, mostly because I have no room for any more treasures, especially mugs. However, I found a great handmade ceramic mug, and two new mugs (for our camper) at a craft show!
In Shipshewana, we purchased a set of wind chimes pealing with deep, sweet tones. It will toll from OUTSIDE, so I don’t need to find room for them INSIDE!
The “trash versus treasure” debate is alive and well. No matter how many tablecloths I have of my mom’s, none will bring her back. When sentimentality takes over, precious junk piles up. We allow meaning to become attached to it; and in our hearts, its value increases.
My maternal grandmother, a meticulous housekeeper (which skipped a couple generations) used to say, “Zorbe zorbe le zurch!*” It meant, “Save, save, for the rats!” She had zero clutter.
It was different at our house. My mom used to say, regarding my childhood home, “If anyone breaks in here, they’ll leave a donation.”
I only hope Honey and I will recognize if we ever do have a break-in. We have a head start on dusting for prints.
Bio: Cindy is genetically descended from packrats and hoarders.
Tip: When you are trying to prioritize what belongs in a story, ask yourself if adding or deleting something would change the story.
The Sturgis Writers ’Mill exists to create a community of writers who constructively encourage, support, and challenge each other as they discover their unique voices. Any opinion expressed is solely that of the author.
*I don’t speak Italian. That’s how it sounded to me.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Writers' Corner: Trash or Treasure
