Thursday, April 08, 2004

Packrat or Keepsake Keeper?

Okay... So not much happened yesterday. It was a boring day at work, and that's where I was for more than half my day. Courtney and I are working on our spring cleaning - we're cleaning out the resource closet in our wing that hasn't been given a good cleaning since we moved in here in 2002! Yep, that's been fun. What's the most fun is having a boss who wants to keep EVERYTHING ("No, don't throw those brochures away! I know ithey're 10 years old, but maybe we can use them as give-aways at Priority22!") AAGGGGHHHH!!! And I thought I was a packrat. I'm figuring out that it's a lot easier to throw things away and have them out of your hair than having to look at it once every 5 years and go "OH... What should I do with this?" But then again, there are the things that I have and I keep that are purely for reminiscing purposes (and maybe some other reasons as well?):

1. That old retainer. Yeah, from those days when I used to suck my thumb (3rd grade?!). Dr. Mike figured that I needed something permanent in my mouth to keep my thumb out of it (seeing as how when I was in first grade he gave me one that I was only supposed to wear at night and *somehow* it ended up getting flushed down the toilet). I keep that retainer around cause it's just fun to have some gross out piece of memorabilia.
2. The ribbon that I used to size that one guy's class ring because it didn't fit my finger. It's funny because every time I look at that ribbon I get this icky upset feeling. It's a good reminder to take care of the relationships that you have while you have them; you may miss them tomorrow. Not that I miss that relationship - I haven't missed it since 10th grade, but it's a principle that I learned, and one that I learned early. It wasn't a good relationship, and I'm so glad it ended, but I learned a lot from that relationship. It was my first REAL "boy-girl" thing... I think everyone should keep something from that first real relationship. It's good to remember.
3. A wine cooler lid. Ah...the days of rebelling against my parents. Some day it will happen to me and my kids. I'll show them that lid, and we'll have a talk.
4. All of my medals, awards, mums, trophies, pins, etc... Once I was great. Once I was the best there was. Once I was a champion. You never have those days again - those days where everyone depended on YOU to win the game. When everyone knew that as long as you were on the mound, they could relax. When the second hit would come to you, and you set up the ball for the perfect spike. When you were flung into the air and you touched your toes at just the right time and made the crowd go crazy. When everyone knew that prom was your doing. When you stood up infront of everyone and gave the awe-inspiring speech at graduation. Once I was great...

It's funny what you save... Funny what those things make you think of... Funny that you can't ever have those days back, but we keep things in order to try. I was talking to John the other day about something like this and he helped me realize that being where I am right now is so much better than any place I've ever been before. I wonder what things I look at in 30 years to make me remember these days...

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