Worldly goods

I went to an estate sale today with my Dad. It struck me as odd, because my dad is coming to live with me and we're been packing up and cleaning up his house (which was my grandma's house) and the same types of items were in the house that the sale was at. End tables from the same era, sewing machines, old computers, glasses, dishes, etc... Most of it I would think is junk. There was a cake stand that is also a punch bowl and I have one of those in my cabinet that dad had me move over.

What struck me the most was how much JUNK people collect. My Dad's house has some 60 years worth of junk, nothing great, nothing good. Old glass jars, my grandma collected some 200+ and kept them. None of them antique, just old. Cleaning this stuff out is a nightmare.

Dad collects collectible cars (1:24 scale), pocket knives (he likes peanuts), and that's about it. At least those aren't junk, they have real worth. A limited edition peanut knife worth $10.00 is different than someone collecting rocks or seashells.

The lady who lived at the house who had the estate sale, she literally had some 5000 seashells she had kept. She had tons of rocks, it was crazy. She sewed, and had a cabinet full of sewing patterns.

The only items of interest to me were records (I love music), books, and two pieces of carnival glass... I've got glass candle holders... but not any really nice ones. Hopefully when Dad goes back tomorrow he can pick them up for me. They were $20.00 for the two of them and very pretty.

People spend their lives accumulating stuff. Some items you don't use, and I think you should get rid of or give to friends... some items like tools will sit around for years without being used but their value doesn't really decline... I really like digital music, because it doesn't take up much physical space compared to CD's or Records... but it doesn't have the same permanence either. A hard drive can get wiped, a CD-R or DVD-R ruined... yet vinyl if kept in a cool environment will last, so will CD's.

I still don't understand why we spend our lives accumulating junk. I need to go into the attic and sort through everything because I need to weed out the junk! Organized stuff doesn't seem so bad, but most people aren't organized. I need to endeavor to be better organized, to keep drawers clear of junk... It seems like everything needs a place, or it needs to go.