I\u2019m better than I once was at letting go of stuff.\u00a0 Between flea markets, second-hand shops and online resources, the world has become one big carousel of buying and selling, acquiring and giving, making me feel I can essentially get something back if I want to.<\/p>\n
Not that I want to.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve had avalanches to deal with in the last few years\u2014my late father\u2019s LP records, cubic yards of my mother\u2019s outdated files, dozens of token soccer trophies belonging to my blessedly unsentimental sons\u2026 remind me, how did we acquire so many musical instruments?<\/p>\n
Somehow, though, it\u2019s the day-to-day micro-decisions that seem to send me into a state of near-paralysis.\u00a0 Take these trifling, yet vexing, examples\u2014<\/p>\n
Crackers<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 OK, what\u2019s the moral thing to do with the open package of sesame crackers I bought a couple of months ago?\u00a0 Green garbage?\u00a0 This is perfectly good food.\u00a0 I could crisp them up in the toaster oven and put them out next time one of my boys is here with friends\u2014if I remember.\u00a0 But that still leaves the open box of oat flakes and the expired corn bread mix\u2026<\/p>\n Personal letters<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 I know the post-birthday thank-you from an adorable nephew goes in the \u201ckeep\u201d drawer, but what about the thoughtful note from an acquaintance?\u00a0 On the one hand, how much room does one little card take, especially if you remove the envelope?\u00a0 On the other hand, two dimensions does eventually become three if, like me, you\u2019re fortunate enough to know a lot of courteous people.<\/p>\n Used nail polish<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 What do I do with an almost-full bottle (make that a dozen, over the last few years) that it turned out was either the wrong shade or too easily chipped?\u00a0 I doubt an opened container would be accepted by Salvation Army\u2014never mind that the stuff is so toxic, it\u2019s hard to imagine any fungus or bacteria living in there.\u00a0 But isn\u2019t it too much like turpentine to go into the garbage?\u00a0 Just wondering: why isn\u2019t the answer printed on the side of the bottle?<\/p>\n Peanut butter jar<\/strong><\/em>. \u00a0Should I use hot water to rinse out a greasy peanut butter or mayonnaise container before recycling it?\u00a0 Or is that use of resources (heat as well as water) more wasteful than just putting the jar directly into the garbage?\u00a0 Again, why isn\u2019t this calculation already done and explained on the label?<\/p>\n Magazines<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 You don\u2019t want to know how many unread and partially-read periodicals pile up in my house like an ever-louder reproach.\u00a0 Isn\u2019t there a way to skip the Admit Defeat step, and go straight to the part where I calmly remove the mailing labels and donate the entire stack in peace?\u00a0 While I\u2019m at it, can I throw in some other lost causes, like The Federalist Papers<\/em>?<\/p>\n Then there\u2019s the perfect conundrum\u2014my copy of Material World<\/em>, a book featuring people around the globe photographed with each and every one of their possessions, laid out in front of their house or apartment or tent.<\/p>\n Keep, or give away?<\/p>\n Published in the Piedmont Post<\/em>, November 11, 2009<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I\u2019m better than I once was at letting go of stuff.\u00a0 Between flea markets, second-hand shops and online resources, the world has become one big carousel of buying and selling, acquiring and giving, making me feel I can essentially get something back if I want to. Not that I want to. I\u2019ve had avalanches to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[77,78,79,80],"yoast_head":"\n