To Keep Or Let Go

I should have known better. The other evening, my husband and I ventured into the basement to search for a particular box of items. Descending the stairs into the cool block basement my head began to swim.

I don't know why so much of 46 years of togetherness ends up in boxes in the basement. While it is somewhat organized, the box we sought eluded us. This is after a long search of opening unmarked boxes.

Here's where I should have known better. As I opened a dusty box, a wave of nostalgia came over me. While it was not the box we were looking for, it held a treasure trove of memories from our son's childhood.

I dropped into an old chair and began to pull each little book out of the box. Some were well worn with floppy earmarked pages and others were pristine. Tears began to well.

Each book marked a time in our child's growth. As a young tot, he was definitely into books filled with pictures of construction vehicles and fire trucks. I smiled to myself when he moved onto the many Berenstain Bears storybooks. Each told a tale kids could relate to or understand in simple terms. "No Girls Allowed" was a favorite in those early years.

Another well-read story was titled "Mother, Mother, I Want Another." It's a cute story of a mother mouse trying to get her little one to bed. But the little one keeps repeating the title of the story. The mother spends the rest of the book trying to determine what her child wants. I won't spoil the ending for anyone interested in reading this book, but it's a sweet way to get your own child to bed.

With more time spent at home during this unrelenting COVID-19 pandemic, there is no excuse for not getting my life in order. Everything from tackling the basket of unmated socks I keep moving around the bedroom to organizing the junk drawer have been on my to-do list.

Like many of you, I have cleaned out closets, drawers and cupboards. I have donated clothing and other items to charities during this time. I bucked up and admitted I would never wear a certain piece of clothing again and let it go.

There have been some positives out of all this staying at home. We are redding up our homes and lives, allowing us to sleep better at night.

And there is never a more perfect time to enjoy and share all those books gathering dust in the basement or on the book shelf.

I know I am.

Heather Ziegler can be reached via email at hziegler@theintelligencer.net.