What Is Worth Saving

I have a bunch of pictures from this week to upload to my computer. We've been busy...the good kind of busy, and I have photos forthcoming to prove it! ;-)

These photos I found kicking around and I realized I hadn't posted them. They are from a month or so ago...a trip to the park to feed the ducks and sleep in trees!



The weather has all of a sudden turned rainy again- those bright days of sunshine from earlier this week are gone. It is pouring buckets!

I had to get out of the house today for a little bit. Mr. Mustard had a guy's night planned tonight (Laker's Game!), so I slipped out for an hour by myself this afternoon for some "me" time. I don't get to do that very often, so when the opportunity arises, I take it!

I decided to check out a different Salvation Army...the one down in Rancho Palos Verdes. I read on Yelp that it is a treasure-trove of designer and high-end cast-offs. So, I went down there. It was not good. The place was so huge I felt swallowed up by it, and everywhere I looked, I just saw stuff, stuff, stuff. Like some kind of hoarder's nightmare. It was packed with people (I think it had something to do with it being 30% off day), and after looking through the racks for a few minutes, I realized there were no gems there.

I have been decluttering a lot lately. Just getting rid of stuff. It's one of those things that comes pretty easily to me. After being in the Fire where I lost every material possession, I like to travel light when it comes to belongings. I realized back then that you can get caught up in the material stuff and it will take over your life. After the fire, I had nothing (well, nothing but my LIFE)...and it ended up being kind of freeing.

I am not saying that I want to go through that type of loss again. It was really horrifying on so many levels. But in the end, all of the stuff we have is just stuff. I was asked awhile ago what I would take out of my house in the event of a fire now, and besides making sure everyone got out safe, I told them that the one thing I would take would be Vivian and Annemarie's urns. The irony is not lost on me that the possession that I would save from a fire would be something that had already burned.

So, being at the Salvation Army today with throngs of bargain shoppers reminded me that every material possession I have is replaceable. Do I need to hang on to clothes that are too small? What is the replacement cost of those things? Judging from what I found at the Salvation Army, around $5 for a pair of pants.

Mr. Mustard likes to keep everything just in case. So, it's a balance in our house. And one that is probably for the best (you know, so we're not living in a house with 4 plates and 2 spoons). In the end, we both know what really matters. The best way to spend one's time is not shopping or fretting about the material stuff or even decluttering. Nope, the most precious times we have are with those we love. Doing stuff like pretending to sleep in trees. And not pretending very convincingly either! Ha!



Those are the memories that are the true treasures in life.

Hope your weekend is a good one! We'll be trying to stay dry here and getting ready for my dad and stepmom's visit next week. I am soooo excited!