Week 6, Day 4: “How Could I Keep it”

A few years ago, someone left me a message left me know a building full of antique stores near me was closing up and getting rid of all their remaining inventory, free for the taking. By the time I heard about it and drove over, people were carrying the last remnants out to dumpsters. I parked my van and began making trips from the basement of the building to my van and back, racing against the dumpster fillers.  There was no time to evaluate, so I beelined for the items I thought I could most use, mainly old scratched records, antique books and vintage boxes. I pulled away from the complex a little while later, covered in dust, my van bursting with treasure.

Later, when I experimented with selling repurposed creations, I used a number of the damaged treasures I had rescued for upcycled projects like wreaths, bowls, and plate stands. Most of the rest of the items have sat collecting dust in my basement since the day I brought them home.

As I went through some of those collections today, I found myself repeatedly saying, “oh, this so cool.” 

I realized what I meant was, “how could I get rid of something with so much potential to be used in a new way, or displayed in a great space, or appreciated for it’s rich history?”

But they were stuck on a shelf, in my unfinished basement.

So, what if “but they’re so cool” meant instead:

“how could I keep something with so much potential to be used in a new way, or displayed in a great space, or appreciated for it’s rich history?

The tiny change in words was a huge shift in my mind set. I’m not appreciating or using those items while they sit on my shelf, and I can give them to someone who might.

It was so freeing. 

90% of my unused vintage records, bins and other “treasures”? buh-bye.

Room to breathe, joyful spirit and clear shelves for my newly sorted kids memory boxes? hello!