Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Out with the old...

Tuesday, 7 September 2010 - Storage rooms could be more aptly named "Black Hole" room or "Avalanche" room or the "Crap" room, not to be mistaken as the 'crapper' or the room in which one craps. It is the catch all room of the house that is the equivalent to the junk drawer, but on a larger scale.  The question is, what exactly ended up in that room, and if you emptied the entire contents would you find not only that pair of shoes you are sure you still have, but also your long lost cousin Saul?

The storage room, or catch all black hole/avalanche/crap/venti junk drawer, is a great place to visit once and awhile. It is not, however, a 'stop by for tea' visit, but rather a long weekend. There are going to be things you find in the back of that room that will not only make you wonder why you still have it, but will take you on a virtual reminiscing vacation. Those knee-high rainbow socks seemed like such a good idea back then. There is a set of golf clubs behind the door that you could have sworn you sent out to the back alley before the last move, and a box of old greeting cards and birthday wishes from people you haven't seen in a decade. Of course visiting this particular room will also cause you to dig through old phonebooks and day timers looking for the phone number of that guy who used to work in the building across from that place you worked 11 years ago who came to your birthday party that one time and brought with him an excellent scotch. Surely he will remember you... if only you could remember his last name or the name of the company he worked for.

Keep digging and you find a box of snap shots you knew had been here somewhere. You just didn't expect that it would be in the bottom of the snorkel gear bag. Those pictures are worth a thousand words...  each.  Or at the very least, they are worth a thousand shudders, a few head shakes, a couple of shoulder shrugs, and a glass of wine.  Huh. Did you know you even owned snorkelling gear? And from where the hell did this chef's jacket and pouffy hat come?

The storage room is really a room of mystery and memory. It's better than a photo album, and more entertaining that Thanksgiving and there is no better day than today to go through yours. Today is Another Look Unlimited Day. This is meant to be a day to go through your stuff, take a few moments to reminisce, and then decide what you no longer need to keep and pass them along to charity or someone else. If you didn't know you owned snorkel gear, you probably don't need it. The fronts of greeting cards can be donated and used for arts and crafts, and used film canisters can always find a new use.  Why you still have 3 cases of them, you'll never know. You can always Google a donation centre near you. Perhaps your Cousin Saul could be donated to charity.  How is he with a shovel? Now if only you had found that bottle of scotch... guaranteed you could put THAT to good use.  

PS - Happy 10th Birthday Google. Now where did I put that box of birthday cards?

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