Yard sale in Moultrie, GA. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Animal Farm (Photo credit: Sanctu)
I have been going through all the packed boxes in my garage this past weekend. I can’t believe how much stuff I have collected over the years. When I put my house on the market several years ago, the real estate agent had me pack up all my personal items and anything I had collected so we could “stage” the house. The house didn’t sell and all that stuff has remained pack up since 2007. If I haven’t used it in all these years, I don’t need it. So I am planning a huge yard sale to get rid of everything. It’s amazing what we collect over the years. Remember the Beany Babies. I have a tub full. Also an extensive collection of Dreamsicles, those cute little cherubs with the straw flowers around their heads. Why did I buy so many. If you look at all the money I have spent on “stuff” that I didn’t need, my bank account would be larger. Well maybe I can recoup some of my money with the sale. I have a simple philosophy these days “If I can’t wear it or eat it, I don’t need it”. I have heard that saying from one of my sisters for years and she is right. Well, that works most of the time, but not always. I do have a thing for shoes, but I have it under control. I think. A friend of mine has over 200 pairs of shoes in her closet. I’m not that bad. But I love boots.
So as I continue to open and determine what I will keep and/or sell, I have found memories in those sealed up boxes as well, remnants of an old love lost which was not meant to be, photos of friends, old love letters and cards that have taken me down memory’s back roads. If you have never read a book of poetry by Don Blanding, you should find his volume of MEMORY ROOM. It is a great poem. His books, I have found over the years, are not for sale. I have read his poem VAGABOND’S HOUSE too many times to recall and it always bring tears to my eyes. Even though Don Blanding died in the thirties, he continues to live in his books of poetry. I was lucky enough to find a record he personally had recorded of VAGABOND’S HOUSE and some of his other poems. I had the record copied to a CD so I will continue to have it for years. His books mean too much to me to ever sell. I am only keeping my most treasured items. All the rest I can live without. I am simplifying my world and it feels great.
I hope you all had a great weekend and a good Monday. Take care and stay safe.
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DREAMAH H. LOCKWOOD |AUTHOR 