Saturday, February 12, 2011

got junk?

Blue and white with big bold letters 1 800 got junk? dump truck pulls up to the next door building claiming North America’s largest junk removal service. Full green trash bags, wood, pieces of metal clang and bang after being thrown into the wide open backside of the truck. A photo scrapbook of someone’s life falls out and scatters with all the debris. How sad I thought as my heart tugged seeing stuff thrown away. Did someone die or move and left their stuff behind. Could it be a hoarder and its time to let go of the obsession before it puts them in danger.

Made me wonder is this what happens to all our stuff eventually?

The saying one person’s junk is another’s treasure is so true. One of my favorite shows lately ‘American Pickers’ go in attics, basements, barns or storage units full of mostly old abandoned stuff looking for a gem. BANG. Another object gets thrown into the truck. Again I look out the window to see an old wooden round side table circa 1970’s being tossed in with the now full truck of junk. Haven’t they heard of trash to treasure? Shabby chic!

As a kid trash picking was an adventure! People would get rid of perfectly good items. Before recycling became all the rage if you didn’t want it leave it at the curb someone would take it. When I had outgrown my dolls and toys I gave them all away to the younger kids on the street. Yard sales have become a huge business on the weekends when the weather is nice. Yard sale-ing down Belmont Street you can make 2 or 3 stops on a good day. Just ask my friend Sharon she knows all the sales in advance heads out early to find stuff at a bahgain!

Some stuff is hard to part with for sentimental reason we cling to that old ticket stub, artwork or knick knack. You can’t take it with you when you go. Sooner or later all the stuff we own has to go to someone else or the dump. Each season of life we go through our stuff take inventory what stays what goes. Clothes in a closet no longer being worn get put in the red cross box for someone else that is in need. I don’t want to leave a lot of stuff behind. My hope is to give away a lot of stuff as the seasons change before that blue truck pulls up to my door.

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