the good stuff

  After writing yesterdays blog about going pro I read it aloud to my wife. That is something I often do as a sort of test run. After reading it out loud I do hear the inconsistencies in the writing. These compositions can be rambling, confusing, and not very structured. But then I reassure myself by saying, well I'm not a pro! Yes these writings and ramblings are the work of an amateur. I'm not ashamed of that and make no excuses for it. I have no desire to take any classes, to learn the proper form and structures, I just enjoy writing things down. No need to go pro. Grandma Moses took no lessons. 

 Speaking of professional grade stuff led my thoughts to the good stuff. It is something I believe the majority of us have. I'm thinking about those material things we have that we call our good stuff. I'm wondering if that isn't becoming something of an outdated thing however. My grandmother had her good china and good glasses, my mother has her good linen. and I have a good soup tureen. I'm not certain if my kids have any good stuff though. That's what I am thinking about really. The younger folks today all seem to use there good stuff all the time, and when it is no longer good, they discard it. Is that a part of this modern throw away society? And is it a lack of sentiment?

 When I was a kid we had our good clothes. You wore those clothes to school, church or formal occasions. If you were not actively involved with those activities you changed your clothes. It was that way with shoes too, you had your good shoes to go with your good clothes. The good shoes and clothes only went away when you outgrew them. If people came over and they were given a drink it was always in a glass, even soda. Mom would fill the glass with ice as well as soda and serve it, with a coaster. We weren't animals was the reasoning. It was like asking, pass the potatoes please. Everyday was that potato on your plate when you got it, not in a bowl on the table. Of course you did have to act like this was a natural thing, wouldn't want to be caught putting on airs. I always snickered though ,couldn't help it, using the good stuff and acting all civilized was putting on airs. I thought it was funny how everyone would pretend like it wasn't. I knew; I also knew I had best be extra careful to not get gravy on that tablecloth and not grab that potato with my bare hand. 

 I'm also thinking that having the good stuff is directly proportional to the size of your home. The larger your home the more good stuff you can store. I say store because that is where the good stuff usually is, being stored, not being used. Even though it may be on display in the china cabinet it doesn't get used often. In my old house I had a formal dining room. In that room was the breakfront, a matching china cabinet and the serving table. I had purchased that complete set from a friend that had sold his house and was downsizing. I had the good china, the good linen, the good glassware, candlestick holders, table runners and whatever in those cabinets. I needed that good stuff if I entertained. Well, I did entertain, myself if no one else and I have to say it felt pretty fancy. Today I have no room for any such trappings, all that good stuff is gone. I don't miss any of it but it is a nice memory. I got rid of that stuff as easily as I got it, and maybe that is the key.

 Is it because we can all obtain the good stuff so readily that we are losing the value? In todays world of credit it is certainly easier. When I was a kid a person having a credit card had to be wealthy. One of the first ones was the Diners Club. Yes, you could charge gasoline and other stuff besides dining out on that card. If someone flashed that card it was impressive. Today everyone has several charge cards. We can just charge the good stuff that we may desire. I realize all of that is variable, there are no absolutes, but getting the good stuff today is far easier than in years past. If I ruined my good suit I wasn't likely to get another anytime soon, hence the care taken to keep it nice. Good clothes came at Easter and Christmas. At some point designer clothes became the thing and that continues to this day. Designer clothes came along with charge accounts is my thinking. 

 Something I have learned over the years though. You can't charge the good stuff. No, that stuff has a value that can't be carried on a ledger. The good stuff is a show of what is important to you. It's simple really, we keep the good stuff and get rid of the rest. The rest is what we will eventually call junk. It is the stuff of yard sales and bazars. Some of that junk was the good stuff at one time or another. The real good stuff however never reaches that stage. That stuff remains for ages and is passed down through families. Sadly I believe that is a custom that is dying out somewhat. I don't mean old photographs, although the actual physical photograph is becoming rarer these days, or other personal items, I'm thinking about stuff. Stuff like sets of china, silverware, knick-knacks and such. Those objects that have been sitting on the shelves in your childhood home and perhaps in your grandmothers home before that. The things that were valued as the good stuff. The value of the stuff may or may not be related to the price of the stuff. That fancy soup tureen for example. it may have been an extravagance at the time of purchase. The actual price may not have been a lot, but twenty dollars for a soup tureen can be a lot to pay for such a luxury item. But then we have to factor in the sentiment in that as well. That's how some stuff gets to be the good stuff. Other things are purchased as the good stuff and that is all it takes, like a diamond or gold piece. Diamonds and gold are always good! 

 Defining the good stuff. That is different for everyone. Holding onto the good stuff is also an individual thing. We all have that stuff I think. The stuff we wouldn't part with unless it was a dire necessity. The good stuff that we purchased to satisfy a want, not a need. Sometimes we need to satisfy a want. How much stuff do you want? How much stuff do you need? I guess it depends upon who you are getting the good stuff for. Are you getting the good stuff to show others that you have the good stuff? Or are you getting the good stuff because you need the good stuff? Having the good stuff does show that you are successful. I don't know I guess we all want the good stuff just for different reasons.