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perspective

Two things I have always enjoyed doing are going to Estate sales and sorting through pictures. But lately both of those things are becoming not quite so fun.

About 20 years ago, a friend of mine didn't have a camera, and I asked her about it. (I was always taking pictures of everything and everyone.) She told me that her parents held an antique store and often were invited to sort through homes after people had died and the remaining relatives had taken all they wanted. Pictures were one of the things that often got left behind. She said you wouldn't believe the number of photos that got thrown away. I've tried to be a little more selective in what I take and what I actually print (printing and digital photographs...that's a whole separate blog post!) since that conversation, but I still take a LOT of pictures.

During Mom's surgery and over Thanksgiving, we tackled the boxes of photos Mom has, trying to sort them into ziplock bags by years. In four days of work, sometimes with three people working, we only emptied/organized three boxes. My sister and I tossed quite a few (when Mom wasn't looking). And now I'm trying to place some of the ones I had sorted years ago into albums. I've made a lot of progress, but there's still a lot to do.

And estate sales...lately I'm finding the same thoughts running through my mind at estate sales as when I sort through pictures - this will be my stuff some day. I like to think that before I die I can downsize and sort through and give away or sell most of what I have, but the reality is that may not happen. And since we don't have children, there's not likely to be anyone who would really want what I have. I can hear my nephew now. She STILL has that television?! It's a 100 years old!!! Take that to the dump! Although there is one advantage to having a television that is over 30 years old (and still working fine)...thieves don't want it! :)

I know some of these thoughts came about when I helped a friend and then my sister move last year. It really made me think about how much stuff I have and what will be done with it when I'm gone. And that's not a bad thing. I've done a lot of cleaning and organizing since that time, and plan to do a lot more before the year is out. And I'm slowly tackling projects that I had put aside for "the future".  That time is here, and it is quickly marching past.

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