Let Go, Let Good(will)

Admit it, you still wear those old comfy socks with the heel worn through, ignoring the new pair with the tags still on it, right? Or maybe it’s your favorite ripped jeans, that ratty T-shirt (you know, the one from college) or even a piece of warped Tupperware you just can’t part with.

“It’s still good,” you tell yourself as you go through contortions trying to get the lid on. I know. I’ve done this too. Last summer I wore ragged loafers even though I bought a new pair. So I made a deal with myself: I could wear the old, but had to toss them on Labor Day. And I did.

We’re all guilty of holding on to stuff way past its prime, yet there’s a difference between old socks and a family heirloom. Many of us have things in the home that once belonged to a loved one, now passed, but keep boxed up in a closet or down in the basement. I bet your deceased relative wouldn’t like that. It’s hard to part with these objects, but if they’re not being used, why keep them? Maybe there’s another relative, a friend or even a stranger who would use it, which will make you feel good about giving it away.

As for those items you just cannot part with, well, you might as well use and value them. Like your grandmother’s dish set. We often eat off IKEA dishes everyday while Nana’s china collects dust in the cabinet. Why aren’t we using it? Afraid we’ll break one? We could, but it’s only a dish. The pleasure of using the item is worth the risk. The plate is NOT your grandmother; it’s the food she taught you to cook that’s ON the plate that represents her best.

As for those old socks? Wear them next week on Thanksgiving. Then after the meal, when you’re sitting on the couch in a food coma, look down and thank them for the comfort they’ve brought you. Then, assuming you can reach your feet, toss ‘em and start wearing a new pair.

Happy Thanksgiving!