While cleaning the kitchen in preparation for a family visit on short notice (what!?) I noticed that I had an empty plastic water bottle sitting beside my “air-cleaning” potted plant.
This water bottle is now 10 months old, but it is perfectly useful to remind me to water the thing. I can’t bring myself to recycle it. When the plant dies, I will retire the bottle. Underneath the plant, an old blue shop-towel has turned practically yellow with age. However, it is still clean and does a great job of soaking up the occasional overflow from an especially zealous watering session.
Another worn-out item: a small, rectangular zip-close plastic bag which is the absolute perfect size to enclose a pack of Trident gum. I’ve used it for several months to keep my chewing gum dry in the event of a surprise rainstorm. (Or a fall in the snow). You can never be too prepared, right? Well, it finally gave out… the bottom seal has split. I was just about to repair the battered bag with duct tape when I realized how stupid that was. Regretfully, I threw it away. My gum will now be exposed to the elements within the confines of my coat pocket.
Correction: my borrowed, 20-year old Columbia jacket which my good friend loaned me to replace my former second-hand, 20-year old Columbia jacket. I’m sure that one day I will learn to dress properly… let’s keep hope alive.
Oh isn’t this fun? I was cleaning out my 10-year-old wallet (yes, that would be high-school!) and pulled out business cards from just about every restaurant I’ve ever been to, doctors and dentists I’ve seen, random people I’ve met, you name it. The one I really can’t part with is the one from my bike shop with the quote for my current (first!) bike, signed by the owner. I love that thing. I’ll never part with it.
When I was in Grade 7, a friend gave me a small rubber chicken named “Ed”. Ed the Rubber Chicken decided to live in my clarinet case, and from that day on, that is where he stayed. I traveled with him everywhere: tours, competitions, concerts, you name it. I took him to UofT where my professor and colleagues looked curiously at him; poor Ed was not quite the same brilliant shade of yellow as he’d been in his youth. But it just wouldn’t be the same without him roosting in my case, among the reeds. He lives there still, almost 14 years later.
So part of the reason why I approach shopping with fear and loathing is that most purchases I make will enter my circle of being for years! I’ve worn and patched jeans until only half of the original material is left, and they can no longer adequately do the job of covering skin in crucial places. Groceries are somewhat easier, but still a challenge sometimes, especially when I’m tired or otherwise lacking in decisiveness.
At least I can laugh at the fact that I’ve made all the most important decisions of my life on a “spur-of-the-moment” basis (don’t ask me how I chose business school!) but find it hard to pick out a new T-shirt.
