resurrected

  Went poking around the attic yesterday and recovered a few memories. My original intent was to sort out some stuff for donation to good will. I have been talking about having a yard sale for years but that isn't going to happen, just too much effort required. Get it out, clean it up, set it out on display, pick it up afterwards, carry it back to the attic. No, I don't want to work that hard for a few dollars. So, the plan is to simply donate it and enrich Mr. Preston (owner of Good Will industries) a bit more. Hopefully someone will purchase whatever items I donate and get some use or enjoyment out of them. 

 I've read about Swedish death cleaning and how it is intended to simply put things in order for those that will inherit your belongings. Well, my feeling is dying is going to be a bit inconvenient so you will just have to deal with all that. The Japanese have a bunch of different techniques to declutter your space and your life. I've read about those, and they all seem like a lot of work to me. I'm just trying to go with, I want this, and I don't want that. My problem is I'm always thinking of others and thinking maybe someone else would like to have this, someone in the family. You just never know what attachment a person may have formed to objects. Often it is the simple, everyday items that mean the most. 

 Almost every object in the attic holds a memory. It may not always be mine. For that reason, I hesitate to dispose of it. You know dying isn't about me and what I want. It would be selfish of me to simply disregard the sentiments of others. After all, I understand you can't just ask people to give you stuff. My son did mention once that he really liked my cypress clock. He said it had been in the house as long as he could remember. But it was a little awkward, a sort of breach of etiquette you might say. He didn't ask for it exactly but dropped a hint. What else might he, his brother or the grandkids have some attachment to that I'm unaware of? 

 I have a good number of items that mean something to me, hold that special value. I often write about them, share pictures of them, and tell anyone that will listen about them and what they are. I am concerned for their safekeeping after I'm gone. I surely don't want them in a yard sale or going to Good Will. The memories they contain are far too valuable for any of that. It's true that some of those objects hold a mystery, a secret unknown to me concerning their ownership or story, but that doesn't change anything. It came from great grandfather's house is enough. 

 So, you see the problem, right? I would like to declutter my attic, clean out the junk and be organized. No one should have to deal with all that after I'm gone. But then I realize how unfair of me that would be. It would border on being selfish and self-centered to do so. I have no right to discard your memories. You never know where those memories may reside. They could be in a lamp, a clock, an old board game or childhood toy. Maybe in a sweater or a jacket. Yes, those memories could be anywhere and so it is probably best to leave them lie for now. It would only be right to allow others a chance to collect their memories, I don't have a monopoly on that. I don't know what I was thinking. We have all heard the expression, "let sleeping dogs lie" I'm thinking we should do the same with memories, the time will come for them to be resurrected. Well, hopefully those memories resurrect me. That's the plan.