30 globes

That's how many worlds I have sitting around. 30 globes.
I also have 2 sets of china
2 sets of every-day dishes
endless flatware and silverware services
glassware galore
art on every wall
various chotchkie

And then there are the things that have ended up at my home by default. Some of my dad's things. Boxes of pictures from my Aunt's house. Things. But, we can't get rid of them. There is a strong connection to all of these things. And even though I'm not sentimental about any of it, the respect for what those things meant to everyone keeps me from begin able to toss that little green address book that sat around my parent's house, pages no longer stay in, the paper is yellowed, half the phone numbers and address' out of date, or the people are no longer with us. But... you get the point. It's all part of the stuff that one just can't discard.

Brass ashtray, broken, but I remember it from when I was a child.
Broken picture frames, with pictures still in them from my grandmother's dresser
My mother's nightgown from her wedding trousseau
My parent's wedding album
The foot-tall indian chief statue

I keep trying to empty closets and lean up my life, but it seems my cupboards have been turned over to nostalgia. Who am I to say what remnants of our family history are to be preserved? By default I am now the curator.

I've been helping my nieces go through their mother's house. They are struggling with the same dilemma. No room in their homes to absorb someone else's lifetime collection of possessions, however, there's history, memories, and respect. I see their closets and cupboards filling up with things that aren't theirs. It's the only way for the moment. At some point they'll be able to respectfully part with it all. But I can't tell them when that will be or for how long they'll be storing the memories.

Little by little we can let it go. I speak from experience. Today I was able to release
a few of those things. A start. That day will come for them too. Because things are things. But the memories are around always.

Meanwhile, anyone want a globe?