A friend of mine has been blogging about spring cleaning. Well, more like – as she calls it – purging, i.e. getting rid of years of accumulated stuff. Right now she is struggling with parting with her teddy bear collection. Which reminded me of my own experiences in this area.
When things started to get financially tight for us and I knew we were also going to have to downsize, I began to sell off some of my treasured dolls. My great-aunt had the most glorious assortment of dolls you could ever imagine. Hundreds (probably thousands) of them, all museum quality. And since her daughters noted my fascination with them, they would present me with one of my own every Christmas. I took very good care of these dolls and I cherished their beauty – and the love with which they were given to me.
My own daughters, however, had never been much interested in toys that weren’t meant to be played with and my granddaughter, I’m told, is into dinosaurs, not the traditional girly stuff. So off they went to various collectors across the country. It was a comfort to know that the ladies that bought them really did appreciate them, some even going so far as emailing me to tell me as much after they’d received them. And it was a relief to know we’d be able to pay some bills during those months.
The other night “The Middle” aired an episode where the family decided it was time to uber spring clean. It was hilarious to see everyone’s take on it, not to mention the end results (of not getting rid of quite as much stuff as they planned to or should have).
What was really strange was Sue (the teenaged daughter) had a set of hot rollers that she just couldn’t bear to part with. She claimed they had feelings and in order not to hurt them, she rotated which ones went in the front of her hair every time she used them. She also said she had to jiggle the plug for the thing to work.
Yes, that is weird in and of itself, but beyond that, what caught my attention was I had that exact same set of rollers! I even had to jiggle the plug to make it work – that is, until I got lucky enough to find a new cord for it. I don’t know where the set designer of the show dug those up but mine are at least 30 years old. Yes, I had them and I still have them and they still work (yeah, they don’t make things like they used to) and I even use them on occasion.
In conclusion, some might criticize me for the stuff I’ve parted with. After all, it’s no secret I’m a type-A perfectionist with over-zealous organizational tendencies who often spouts the motto, “When in doubt, throw it out.” But I assure you, I do have a sentimental side and there are things that I will not part with no matter what. Practicality, however, usually rules the day.
To paraphrase the Godfather: sell the dolls, keep the rollers.
