Tag Archives: books

Evaluating the historical value of our junk

05 Wednesday May 2021

Posted by in community, Health, pets, therapy, writing

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

There’s nothing like moving into a smaller home to challenge one’s ability to skim off the excessive possessions.

Of course, this is not to lessen experiences of people leaving their homes due to civil strife and natural disasters.

Moving during a pandemic provides enough limitations and extra costs – even within the same community.

I recently had to make difficult decisions: I had been holding on to nicnacs, family portraits, letters, Christmas cards from years gone by and artwork my children made many years ago. I had to get tough with my sentimental leanings and those “what if” situations where we would need extra dishes, linens, towels and sleeping bags. It’s not like we can accommodate house guests or invite people over for dinner any time soon.

Family history

I embrace and cherish my journals and albums tracing the family activities through good times and bad. To me, these are important memoirs, accounts, photos documenting the children’s growth, the reunion with my oldest child, meeting his wife and my beautiful grandchildren.

What about the doodles and whimsical sketches I made to keep my sanity during the quiet evenings of the many COVID-19 stay at home orders in 2020 and 2021? I like to think they will also have historical value some day. The people at the Ottawa Archives may think so too. I wouldn’t want to be the entry level Archivist who has to sort through and categorize thousands of boxes. We can be sure that by now, most Archives will accept digital copies of memorable documents and pandemic artefacts.

Downsizing questions

  • At what point do you justify paying monthly rent for a storage unit?
  • How much effort are you able to put into getting useful items to local charities?
  • How much are you willing to pay for a service that will take your junk away, and promise at best effort to redirect useful items to charity?
  • How many wine boxes does it take to pack your beloved books and other delicate items? How many bottles of wine would you buy in exchange for the Wine Shop staff putting boxes aside for you on a bi-weekly basis? How many of those bottles do you consume or gift to others who are helping you in the process?
  • When can I unpack my books and place them on the limited bookcases in our new home? Am I willing to make some difficult choices? Haven’t we been through this before?
  • How long until I decide to move again? Will I have unpacked all of the boxes or piled some into a cramped corner?
The Tabby Cat squeezed into a temporary hidey box after we moved in the first truckload.

Resources:

Distractions

You can spend another five minutes reading a humorous account of activities surrounding the recent move.

The Tabby Cat survived the move

Thanks for stopping by. Please excuse the mess. I am trying to unpack one or two boxes per day now that we are settled in. I should be done by Thanksgiving.

Stay well. Stay safe. Be kind.

T

Why are you here?

20 Sunday Nov 2016

Posted by in community, libraries, philosophy, writing

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

, , , , ,

That question was recently asked by what could have been a younger, curious version of myself.

A few times each month, I spend three hours of bliss volunteering in a small bookshop.

I get to meet interesting people, stroke and skim through the latest items placed on the shelves. Not a month goes by without me purchasing something of interest to me or someone I love. I like the fact that sales revenues go towards purchasing new books and supporting programs for our local libraries. Being in that book shop is the closest I can get to working in a library – for now  🙂

My recent volunteer shift was graced by the usual lingering regulars and families attending events nearby. It warms my heart when children express delight as they find a book or two that they want their parents to buy.

One particular tot caught my attention while exploring books with her older sister, parents and grandmother. She approached the front desk, her blonde head barely above the counter, her blue eyes peering at me.

“What’s your name?” she asked in a sweet and barely audible voice.

I responded with a smile and asked about hers. Her Mother responded on her behalf due to the child’s limited conversation skills.

Then the child asked, “Why are you here?”

“Why am I here? Well… I like books, I like meeting new people and selling them books.”

Then she skittered away to explore the shelves with her family.

Soon she returned to ask again “Why are you here?”.

After I repeated my previous response I wanted to ask the wee thing if she was being philosophical about the big picture but I decided it would just confuse matters.

It was cute. It was thought-provoking in a naive kind of way.

I think that was a helpful experience for those basic queries we should ask ourselves often, like “Why am I here?”.

If we cannot answer the why, we could at least ask, “What am I doing during my time here?”.

T

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

25 Sunday Oct 2015

Posted by in Health, reading, therapy, Travel, writing

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I recently travelled alone yet had many people in my thoughts.

It was one of those journeys that you need to take solo, comforted in knowing that someone who loves you will be waiting at the other side. 

The geographical distance wasn’t far, yet the detours down memory lane were deep and murky.

Air Canada flight above the clouds

Above the clouds

I intentionally left my travel companion and anxiety relief at home. It was my turn to fly again and embrace small bits of adventure.

Before take off and at times during the flight, I kept my mind and hands busy by reading snippets from the Mindfulness on the Go book. I tried to ignore that apparent crack in the engine casing below me…

Mindfulness on the Go book and tabby cat

Mindfulness on the Go meets Tabby approval

The visit with family was relaxing and a welcomed change. Although it rained most of the time that week, I enjoyed the company and reacquainting with the lovely city I knew a lifetime ago.

Church of our Lady Guelp

Church of Our Lady, Guelph, Ontario

My relatives and I wined, dined, toured the city and got in some meaningful conversations.

I met up with an old flame from a lifetime ago. We lunched, walked, talked and drove around the city in the rain. He only ran one red light. The fact that it was next to a cemetery only affected me a bit. Just a bit. We survived.

Church of Our Lady at sunrise

Church of Our Lady at sunrise

Before I knew it, it was time to say goodbye. I was whisked away to a bus to Toronto so I could catch a train back home in time for dinner with friends.

CN Tower Toronto ON

CN Tower Toronto ON

While trotting through downtown Toronto with my suitcase, I made sure to get a picture of the CN Tower.

There just aren’t enough pictures of the CN Tower  ;-^ 

Timing was perfect for purchasing a Business Class ticket home. The price for waiting too long was high! 

VIA Rail Business Class

VIA Rail Business Class

I don’t travel often or far but when I do, I like to travel in comfort.

ViaRailLakeOntario

Lake Ontario from the VIA Rail train

ViaRailTracks

Train tracks and parallel journeys

I love trains. They are featured frequently in my novel “The Year of the Rabbit“.  Read it sometime, won’t you?

Lessons learned on this journey:

  • Book your train ticket home earlier to save money. Damn!
  • Don’t distract an old flame with memories and hurts while driving through a rainy city;
  • Enjoy the journey down memory lane, as foggy and slippery the road may be;
  • Let some memories fade into the distance as you move forward in your newly created life. Anticipate some forks in the road.

Thanks for dropping by and joining me on this journey.

T