More Slum Clearance

With all the slum clearance and urban renewal around here it was bound to hit the garage sooner or later.

"Darling, it's up to you to run the bulldozer, it's all your treasure."

"Yeah, well I CAN'T now. I've gotta go play tennis."

I admitted to myself it was an ideal day for tennis, so I climbed up on a chair and tackled the top kitchen shelves.

Darling and Baby Daughter came home before I'd had a chance to miss them.

"Here's the key to the bulldozer. Start on the left cupboard of your work bench."

"Can't. I'm watching a basketball game."

Number 2 Son came in and asked, "Mom, can you put a new patch on an old hole?"

"Huh?"

"Will you stitch up the seam in my jeans?"

"Oh. Yeah, but they gotta be clean and you gotta hold my hand."

"Hold her hand?"

"Yeah. She always breaks a needle sewing on my jeans and she needs somebody there to cuss at."

Number 2 Son stood hunched over my shoulder watching the blue thread dancing back and forth as it pulled together the frayed seam. His non-stop flow of humor was par for the course.

"*%$*!"

"Wow! That sure got bent in a hurry. Want me to straighten it?"

"Nope. Just get me a new needle."

We started the same scene, take 2.

"*%$*!"

"Again?"


"I don't suppose I could get you to stitch my other pair...ah, I guess just forget it..."

Darling returned and said, "The game is over. Now what was I supposed to do?"
"Clear your slum!"

"Huh?"

"Sort through the treasures in your work bench and see if you can bear to part with any of them. I'll come out and hold your hand."

"Hi, Grampa! Whatchadoing?"

"Sorting through this stuff to see what I can throw away and what I'm going to keep."

Number 1 Granddaughter, then age 6, with her brilliant powers of observation, watched quietly for several minutes and, with the same humor that runs in the family, casually remarked "The keepers are winning." After her brilliant observation I realized all we'd really done was move stuff from one place to another. We didn't need to get better organized we needed to actually get rid of time robbers. I asked myself, "Is this item indispensable to my welfare and happiness?" I tried to separate need from greed and my decisions had nothing to do with staying in the fast lane. I was really surprised at how much I could let go and I don't remember what most of it was, but I do know I haven't missed anything I let go.