A Recycled Memory

    

It’s a well-known fact that most of us have a basement, attic, or garage, and sometimes all three, full of things we don’t use, but somehow we can't seem to let them go.  I have written in past posts that Joe and I are trying to downsize as we get ready for our next move, even though I can say we have yet to know when or where that next move will be. We want to be prepared anyway.  We have made a lot of progress to a point where most of what’s left in our garage are things like Christmas decorations, garden tools, and a few framed items that we want to keep but don’t have room to hang them in this home, but we will make sure to have that room at our next place.

Now what you see above is a playpen and cradle, both built by my grandfather, who was a carpenter by trade. Once he retired in the late 1950s, he spent a lot of his time building shelves for knickknacks, but my prize treasures are these items he made for me when I was around 4 or 5.  Obviously, once I got older, I stopped playing with them, so Mom kept them stored in her basement. Then when I got married, I brought them with me, thinking someday Joe will repaint them, and we would find a new use for them. They sat in our basement until we moved to Idaho, at which point they were stored in our garage, with the same intent of someday painting and finding a use for them.  Next, we moved to Las Vegas, and again they were back in yet another garage for about ten more years. In fact, these were hidden behind a bunch of boxes, but as we slowly got through the boxes, I finally decided, after more than 40 years of storage, to just get these out, clean them up (no painting needed) and use them for – what else – books!

Joe and I have a lot of books, mostly Joe because he is a history buff and reads a lot of history. We have four bookcases that are nothing but history, and Joe has read every one of them, sometimes more than once.  I wonder why it is that when a book is finished, so often it goes back on the shelf instead of in the donation box. Oh I have given a lot of books away, but there are always those certain ones that have to remain in our possession, even though more than likely they won't get read again. I enjoy reading biographies on the actors from the 1930s and 1940s, and as I work my way through each book, yep, I put the one I finished back on the shelf and won't be giving it away any time soon.

But back to the cradle and playpen. I'm mad at myself that I never realized they they didn’t need painting.  Looking old and used is part of their charm. And now I know they will never again sit on a shelf in the garage or basement. They might not always hold books, but they will always hold wonderful memories of Grandpa building something just for me.

Take a look through your stored items. You just might find a better place for them than a designated shelf in the garage behind a bunch of boxes. And if they look old and used, that’s okay. It’s the way they were always meant to be!  Thanks for stopping by.  Enjoy your day and keep reading and writing.