Mementos in the attic…

Let’s be very honest here. We all have clutter. Don’t lie. One of the biggest culprits, if not the biggest, is the barrage of sentimental items we keep holding onto.


How many of us have that one (just one?) closet in their home packed full of boxes, zippered storage bags full with photographs, childhood items and too many other items you have likely forgotten all about. The thought of parting with any of them, well, that rarely occurs because there is always some reason to keep hanging onto things. Our intentions are always to possibly to pass them down to family or a friend but meanwhile, there are just so many memories tucked away, our homes become storage facilities.


Personally, I cringe at the thought of my own Christmas ornaments and decorations, some of which have lived in their respective boxes for years without movement. Yet, I’ve kept them and the thought of parting with any of them breaks my heart but my reasoning is to pass along the best of what is inside the piles of boxes. Grandchildren who will soon have their own homes and will be thrilled to share in my favorite collection of “stuff”.

Of course they will, that’s what I keep telling myself.

We all attempt to hold onto our respective pasts with family and friends who have either died or left us items which represent closed chapters in our lives. I do recall most of my life up to this point and time as well as those people, those “ghosts” without all of the papers, photos and other paraphernalia which live in the boxes stored in my home. All have been saved to remember, yet, I was doing a fairly good job of doing that without all of them, or so I thought. Even today, I came across an object and said out loud to myself, “what the hell is this? when going through a particular box. As I continued to talk to myself, I thought about who saves crap like what I found.

Evidently, I did, at some point in the past.


Then, the emotions involved with letting so much go steps in and takes over until we realize that everything we’ve stored away has become a museum of our lives. We all can remember our past along with those we’ve lost and share that with our families without an endless collection of boxes stored everywhere.


Think about it.


None of us need all of these things and not having them does not make the day or the memory any less special or important. We will still remember those important in our lives, their memories are their stories along with their wisdom and advice. Simple steps in identifying which items are most important to yourself and your family helps you to realize that you do not have to discard any collection. Honor your memories and your mementos.


Use them and if not, pass them along to someone who will appreciate them. Donate your wedding dress to a charity that gives wedding gowns a second life by turning them into prom dresses for girls unable to afford them. Repurpose the gadzillion T-shirts you have from everywhere and make a quilt. Take photographs of childhood toys and baby clothes you’ve saved. They don’t need to sit in the attic, let them be enjoyed now by a new generation.


Speaking of photographs, how many do you have on your phone? Yup, thought so. Scan them, put them on a flash drive or, in the cloud so that your past will be at your fingertips whenever you want to look at it. Good, bad or indifferent, all memories are in our hearts, not under the bed, in closets or in the attic. Letting go is freeing, useful and sentimental. We shouldn’t store things away because we’ve had them forever or, they were a gift. Don’t try to justify that you “might” need or want it someday. Trust me, that day never comes. As far as something possibly holding some significant value, sell it now. If it’s not really worth anything, forget the “maybes” and let it go.

By all means, keep those mementos but let go of the sentimental clutter.
Honor your past without cluttering your present. Find your balance!

From the Writer’s Workshop: Tell us the story of your favorite memento. I went off on a bit of a tangent here, mainly because it’s Spring and my favorite time for purging. Mementos are everywhere in my home. But, I cheated with my response and failed to ramble on about one of my favorite mementos because I felt most people would find it absolutely boring or not have any idea what it is. For what it’s worth, here it is. Don’t judge me…

Signature

Where I’m From

I am from travels across long and winding roads,  with musty clothes packed inside a tattered suitcase.

     From the lonely U.S. Navy sailor on shore leave and the USO singer looking to escape, I am the aftermath.

I am from Huguenot, number 327, with long dark halls where fear hid behind each door.

I am from constant disagreements and hurt from Strollo, artistic talents from Havens and depression…from Smith.

I am the sarcastic one of Lloyd Chester and ever-critical like Mary Patricia but not as hateful as Mary Agnes; I have Marjorie’s fleeting elegance but not her voice although I have Lee’s fingers guiding mine as I write while, sadly, I lack the music from his soul.

I am from kneeling in Catholic church until my knees were numb and my back ached from staying rigid.   From pain that was better than any punishment from the nuns who patrolled the aisle.

I’m from the poor shadows of decaying New Rochelle and the wealth of golden San Francisco.  Beef Stew and Pâté de Foie Gras.

                                                                                        

I am from Lilacs, briefly bursting with soft color and fragrance along with sand that washes into the ocean with every storm; I am from hindsight and wishing.  Always wishing.

I am from dreams of different beginnings; from gathering moments into boxes of forgotten memories labeled… Indifference,  Anger and Why? 

Mostly, I am an outsider, safely standing on the edges of my life, wondering.

From the Writer’s Workshop: Write a post based on the word genealogy./Write a post in exactly eleven (11) lines (sentences). 

I first wrote and shared this post way back in 2014 and there was nothing about it I wished to change for this current prompt response, nor did I want to write a new post.  My genealogy, its best and worst.

This reflects me; my beginnings and where I am at this point, still, in my life. 

Signature

Word Appetizer…


This is a rough estimate, but I’ve written approximately 1.237 million words since I’ve actively been writing. Wait, now it’s 1,237,019 words, but you get the gist. Probably a million were “the” and “said.” Some were used for alliteration, sort of a wise witty word weaving wizard. More than a few had to be worked over to be spelled correctly. If I were in front of a firing squad and had to spell “sheriff” or “rhythm” on the first try to live, I’d be riddled with bullets.

Some words were used that didn’t mean what I thought, like “nonplussed”, for instance. I thought it meant someone was bad at math, as in “he couldn’t add to save his life. He’s “nonplussed.” It actually means “unconcerned.”“Peruse” is another. I’ve always thought it mean to “skim,” as in, “let me peruse these cliff notes so I can pretend I read the book.” It’s the opposite. It means to “read or examine thoroughly.”

But I’ve always liked words, some more than others. Words can open up a whole new world. I’ll never forget reading the “Ox-Bow Incident” in high school which had been suggested by my English teacher. I came upon a word I’d heard a few times, but not in a printed format. That word was “Whore” and I honestly had no idea that it was spelled that way, never realizing that the “w” was silent. It actually looked a lot more impressive spelled out than it was hearing it spoken. I had a fair idea of what it meant and will say one thing, it definitely piqued my interest with reading the rest of the book.

As far as favorite words go, I do have some favorites and enjoy tossing them out now and then for public consumption. I like the meanings behind the particular ones I share here, but, mostly, I enjoy how they sound. Allow me to share my “word salad”, (did I just type that?), actually, let’s just call it my “Word Appetizer!”

extrapolate – The markets are often myopic and tend to extrapolate short-term trends for the long run. (Kind of fitting given the recent stock market brouhaha.)
vitriol – Politicial commentators spew angry vitriol.
superfluous – He cleared off all the superfluous stuff on his desk to make room for the new computer.
perspicacious – They had an unusual power to perspicaciously see through and understand what was puzzling or hidden.
loquacious – She talked about these topics in a manner that managed to be tight-lipped and loquacious at the same time.
juxtaposition – Dark floors ground the space, a welcome juxtaposition to the white walls.

All of these impressive-sounding words aside, I’m currently on a mission that involves researching proper verbiage for updating organizational bylaws. It’s a challenge. The task at hand is to strictly follow the rigid wordage of Robert’s Rules of Order or draft a basic, club member-friendly, constitution that requires no in-depth interpretation, more like “Just the Facts, Jack!” My goal is to put forth only pertinent, factual, information involving the rules of a private club without evoking speculation, confused responses or assumptions. Sound like a plan?

Wish me luck. Please.

From the Writer’s Workshop: List your five, favorite, current words.

Signature