Every year at about this time, the city where I live holds community clean-up week, which not-so-coincidentally occurs when college students move out of their rental properties after graduating. This is a big deal for little towns like mine. It’s the custom for some residents to drive around and pick through other people’s trash before the garbage trucks haul it away. You might be shocked to learn this about me, but I am not ashamed to say that I am sometimes one of those pickers.
It’s an old tradition that dates to my grandparents and probably their parents before them. Late in their lives, my grandma and grandpa ran an antique business. They combed the newspaper ads to see what people were selling, checked out yard sales, estate sales, and auctions, and once a year traveled to Ohio for buying trips. They saw gold in other people’s discards. Their business was called Treasures and Trash Antiques. I loved accompanying them on their treasure hunts, and I guess, as I still drive by heaps of old furniture on someone’s boulevard, I feel a slight rush of adrenaline. Most of the time, trash is absolute trash. But sometimes, people throw out the most amazing things.
I’m not the collector I used to be. I’m at an age now where I have more than enough and have been downsizing certain things. In fact, I’m overwhelmed, still sorting through items from my parent’s estate and my Mother-in-law’s. Yesterday was Mother’s Day and the day before spring clean-up week. The family scavenging trait is alive and well in my daughter Kate. After spending a lovely day together, she left my house, drove out of town, and gawked at the clean-up heaps. She called me on the way home to share that she’d found an antique dry sink and was thrilled because she could use it to hold a flowering plant as part of her shabby-chic garden art. It tickled me, and I know her grandparents and great-grandparents would smile down upon her and her creative repurposing nature.
This morning, I decided to contribute my part to the clean-up. I ventured to the garage to sort through boxes and bags of accumulated items. The first box I opened was filled with my mother’s sewing supplies. Though I seldom sew and probably couldn’t use all of her sewing notions, I was overcome by memories of her working on dress patterns or crafting gifts for her family and friends. The bags of thread and ribbons smelled like her and her home, and quickly, I was transported to that other realm. I am unable to part with these things yet. So, I sealed up the bags and will wait for a better time to deal with things emotionally.
Then, as luck would have it, I had a phone call with my darling cousin Sheri. As we visited, I mentioned that it was spring clean-up week, and before I knew it, we planned a date. She’ll be at my house tomorrow morning, so we can drive around town to see what’s left on people’s trash heaps. Neither of us needs a darn thing, but the thrill of the hunt is too strong to resist. I swear I will do everything I can to resist impulsively grabbing just any useful thing and focus only on unique, once-in-a-lifetime treasures. Or better yet, I’ll help Sheri find what she wants. Mostly, it will be a time spent loving a crazy-fun family tradition with my dear friend. And maybe we’ll enjoy a great cup of coffee and a doughnut along the way.
Having said all this, you might think I’m a hoarder. But SURPRISE! I am NOT. While I own quite a bit, admittedly more than I need, I do try to downsize, pass things on to others, and regularly donate stuff to Goodwill. Sometimes, lots can cloud my thinking, and I long for open space and a fresh take on things. Another way I part with things is by reselling them. I rent a booth space in an adorable boutique where I sell a mixture of antiques, collectibles, and items I’ve crafted. The money I make from these items is usually spent on writing webinars and children’s books, which I think is a good thing!
All in all, my grandparents had it right. Waste not, want not, but DO pass things on when you’re done using them or stop caring about them. Life is a dance of making room for new things, whether they are tangible or experiences.
For this month’s Recommended Read, I’ve reviewed a children’s book about another collector: Mr. Pack Rat Really Wants That by Marcus Ewert. Illustrated by Kayla Stark (Plum Blossom Books – 2018.)
Under the Activities section of this blog, you can also find a “Cute as a Button Note Cards” project for “repurposing” any button collections you might have lying around.
Little Seeds Read 