Do not hoard what seems good for a later place. This is what spoke to me. I am currently working on a project for that very reason. My drawers and closets of full of little treasures from 76 years of living. They are in drawers in little boxes, many labeled so I won't forget their significance. Many are insignificant things I haven't been able to part with. My project? Gather them all together from their hiding places and glue them on to a lamp base I bought for that purpose. For the rest of my life, they can be out of their hiding places for me to enjoy and reminisce--pin for 1957 merit award, favorite earrings from 1990, Hubby's Michigan bell pins, My Weight watchers pins, so I can point out to friends I once was actually AT a goal weight, old watch parts that once belonged to my grandfather--a jeweleryand watch maker, earrings that belonged to my mother who has been gone for 43 years, a mini care bear and troll, a daughter's favorite...well that is some of it. They are no longer special for a dresser drawer--they get to shine in the light of the lamp for as long as I live.
Julie, thank you for sharing ALL this--the process trail of thought, the results, and the wanderings along the way. I treasure this evidence that following the winding path is worth the journey, often in surprising ways. The Ross Gay poem is the perfect closing. I'll ponder this one for a good while.
I love your train of thought writing. And because I know you, I can hear it perfectly.
Do not hoard what seems good for a later place. This is what spoke to me. I am currently working on a project for that very reason. My drawers and closets of full of little treasures from 76 years of living. They are in drawers in little boxes, many labeled so I won't forget their significance. Many are insignificant things I haven't been able to part with. My project? Gather them all together from their hiding places and glue them on to a lamp base I bought for that purpose. For the rest of my life, they can be out of their hiding places for me to enjoy and reminisce--pin for 1957 merit award, favorite earrings from 1990, Hubby's Michigan bell pins, My Weight watchers pins, so I can point out to friends I once was actually AT a goal weight, old watch parts that once belonged to my grandfather--a jeweleryand watch maker, earrings that belonged to my mother who has been gone for 43 years, a mini care bear and troll, a daughter's favorite...well that is some of it. They are no longer special for a dresser drawer--they get to shine in the light of the lamp for as long as I live.
Oh Peggy, that sounds like a joy of a project. Thanks for sharing your writing about it!
Julie, thank you for sharing ALL this--the process trail of thought, the results, and the wanderings along the way. I treasure this evidence that following the winding path is worth the journey, often in surprising ways. The Ross Gay poem is the perfect closing. I'll ponder this one for a good while.
It’s a powerful poem, isn’t it? Thanks for reading, SarahLee.
Thank you for this sample from Ross Gay, whom you’ve mentioned to me before. What a powerful connection to the idea of witness.
Thanks for reading, Jen. Hope you can get your hands in some dirt and grow something green during the season you are moving through.