9/22/09 One hundred twenty-one greeting cards, recycledBirthday cards, postcards, anniversary cards, thank-you cards, notes of endearment, all gone. I am a heartless, unsentimental, Grinch-like Scrooge. Or, perhaps I'm a Scrooge-like Grinch. Either way, my callousness is notable.
Truth is, Hallmark has a powerful hold on me, but I'm fighting it. We have a basket hanging next to our fridge, and we put special cards that we receive (0r give each other) in it. We don't keep the casual cards, just the ones with real emotional value. Over time, they add up. They add up to 121 cards, to be exact.
Joanna and I spent twenty minutes reading through them. Quite a walk down memory lane, and purely enjoyable.
As this challenge wears on, one thing I'm starting to understand is that memories are more valuable than mementos. Of course cards themselves aren't meaningful, but they represent the time and thoughtfulness of people who care about us. Each card comes with a personal touch, and to toss it seems to indicate that we don't care about the person who sent it. That's obviously ridiculous, but the feeling is there, surrounding us like fog.
I opened a window to air the place out.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I'll admit that we saved a few pictures that were attached to some of the cards. I added those to a photo album. Everything else - every single card - got tossed into a bag of recycling. Adios, mementos. Memories, you get to stay.
Also staying will be two little surprises we discovered in the cards. We found a $20 gift card to Starbucks that I had included in a card to Joanna months (years?) ago. Even better, a fifty-dollar bill dropped out of an old Christmas card from my parents. Mom and Dad were rockin' the General Grants! Oh, how I love the 'rents.
No worries, we'll downsize the gift card and cash as quickly as possible.
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