Clutter

So my mother in law is embarking on a journey we all dread... cleaning out other people’s collected stuff. Her mom is getting new carpet and things need to be rearranged in order to make that happen. This is the reason I have not installed new carpet, y’all. I knew it would not be worth it. I will walk on that nasty threadbare stuff as long as I can take it. She has all my sympathy.

Clutter can be an amazing journey but only for the clutter-er. For me, I love to go through my stuff but rarely make a lot of progress. I may reorganize, regroup, but many of my things contain that intangible sentimental value that keep me from saying a forever farewell... and I actually am still angry with myself for throwing stuff that really was needed after a purge... So it’s a journey for me. No worries, I can still walk around my house without knocking piles down (most of the time).

When my Grandma was cleaning out after Grandpa passed away, she came to me with a box of watch parts. It was a small box, 3x5 inches in size, I think dentures actually came in the box. “Can you believe he kept this crippy crap!” Actually, as hobbies go, that’s not a bad one for value-to-space ratio. I couldn’t find it in me to condemn poor Grandpa his little collection which may have spared a watch or two from the junkpile through different parts of his life.

I kept the box, minus the obviously unusable parts, with some other jewelry items of his. Why? I’m not a guy and the chance of bolo ties coming back in style... well, it’s a little piece of his life I can appreciate.

And more than I thought, too. My oldest boy bought his first tux, complete with accoutraments, including cuff links. If you buy a shirt that requires cuff links, it requires them, and there’s not much way around it... anyway, night of prom, the new links are nowhere to be found. Panicking, his last item missing... I calm him down and pull out the little box. Inside is a pair of cuff links. One is plain gold, the other a matching timepiece. It doesn’t keep time, but that’s not important. It was beautiful and antique, and had belonged to his great grandfather. It was perfect. So, Thanks, Grandpa, for hanging onto cuff links long after you tossed the last cuff link requiring shirt. Your great grandson will cherish these links always.

Oh, and the theme of the Prom? “Timeless”.