Just a Simple Post

Posted on 10/29/2017 by Andrew Reynolds

Nothing special here.  Just life going on and world spinning on its endless path.  I wish I had some great insight or world shaking wisdom to impart.  I don’t. 

This week we got a new shed and set about refilling it.  We had an old metal shed, but the roof was starting to rust and I was worried that it would start leaking.  Heather and I decided to buy a new shed to replace it.  So last weekend we moved all the stuff out of the old shed and during the week the shed company came out to install our new shed.

Yesterday it was time to put the stuff back into the shed.  The first step was to take a look at what we were storing and sort it out.  Not everything was going back into the shed.  Each of us had boxes of stuff that we’d stored away thinking we’d need it again.  I had boxes of books, papers and other items. 

Before I started I thought I’d have a difficult time deciding what to keep.

It wasn’t hard.  They were just things.  Each box I opened I asked two questions, “Would I ever use it again?” and “Would I ever miss it?”

I have to admit that most of the stuff I had, fell in to the category of, “I still have this crap?”

Every item in the shed was sorted into four groups: keeping, donating, recycling or trash.

Both the trash and recycle bins are full.  The donation pile is ready to drive to the thrift store and I think we only put back in the shed a little over half of what we took out.  Things we kept were mostly seasonal storage like the outdoor Christmas lights, summer fans, and our new A/C unit.  There were a couple of boxes of my parent’s things that I’ll deal with another day and a box of my school papers that I don’t want to part with yet.  Heather had a box of picture frames she kept, and nice twin bed that we don’t have use at the moment, but it’s too nice to just get rid of.

In the end, it’s just things.  If we lost all of them, we’d still be us, we’d still have our memories.  It’s a luxury to have a space to hold all the things of our life – things that trigger happy memories and our shed does hold a few of those.  Having lots of things is nice, but doesn’t always lead to happiness.  Sometimes things just get in the way and getting rid of them is sometimes liberating.

But we did decide to keep the beach buckets and sand shovels.  The kids haven’t used them in years, but Heather and I agreed that we need to go to the beach and build a sandcastle or two.

Till next time,

Andrew

About Andrew Reynolds

Born in California Did the school thing studying electronics, computers, release engineering and literary criticism. I worked in the high tech world doing software release engineering and am now retired. Then I got prostate cancer. Now I am a blogger and work in my wood shop doing scroll saw work and marquetry.
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20 Responses to Just a Simple Post

  1. Debra says:
    11/03/2017 at 8:13 pm

    Good plan to keep the beach toys! We all need to play at the beach as often as possible! Downsizing comes to all of us in different opportunities, and it sounds like you took the time to make wise and conscious decisions to lighten the load. Sounds like a very productive week.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Ron says:
    11/01/2017 at 6:11 pm

    Once again you remind me that we don’t have to agree on politics to be friends.

    You guys saved the beach buckets!!!!
    You ROCK!

    By gosh some things are too important to chunck!

    God bless you guys!!!!

    Liked by 1 person

  3. pommepal says:
    10/30/2017 at 7:39 pm

    We’re going through that process(again!!!) must get a sand bucket, great for distressing…A single bed in your shed??? Is it sometimes the dog house?

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Allan G. Smorra says:
    10/30/2017 at 4:05 pm

    “It’s easier to let go if you’re not holding on.”

    You and Heather are fine examples for the rest of us, Andrew.
    Ω

    Liked by 1 person

  5. dorannrule says:
    10/30/2017 at 11:58 am

    Sand castles are vitally important but I’m with you on culling the clutter. It feels so good to get down to basics and your new shed is probably looking pristinely organized! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Mama's Empty Nest says:
    10/30/2017 at 9:49 am

    It feels good to purge every now and then, doesn’t it?

    Liked by 1 person

  7. Jacqui Murray says:
    10/30/2017 at 7:39 am

    It is enlighten ing to clean out old stores of stuff. I stumbled across a cupboard filled with old tech cables, a recharger for a Palm, even a 15-year-old phone. Tossing it all (responsibly, of course).

    Liked by 1 person

  8. timsablog says:
    10/30/2017 at 3:59 am

    What’s the betting that next week you go to the shed for something you haven’t used for years only to realise that it was in the donate pile? (If you’re quick you might be able to get to the thrift shop to buy it back).

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Annika Perry says:
    10/30/2017 at 12:36 am

    Yeah! Great idea about keeping the sand shovels and beach buckets…enjoy the sand castle expedition!! 😀😀

    Liked by 1 person

  10. C. J. Hartwell says:
    10/29/2017 at 8:20 pm

    Sounds like your day was a busy one. I’m like you, most of the time I can’t believe I still have this crap and it always feels good to be rid of it. 😊

    Liked by 1 person

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