2020 Resolutions - Bah humbug!

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Kananaskis village fireworks

Well here we are, another orbit around the sun. It’s a time when a lot of people make resolutions. I suppose it isn’t a bad idea although there seems to be a monotonous sameness in the things I think would be good for me to do in the new year, exercise more, lose weight, set a more regular sleep schedule, write 24 blog posts, declutter the house.  Most years I get to the end of the year only to look at the same list again for the next year. I suppose it’s good to have more than one chance at things and, it’s a good thing that I don’t get a failing grade if I go sideways on any or all of the things that would be good for me to do.

            I’ve been thinking about my stuff lately. I have a lot of it, and I like quite a bit of it. While the minimalism of a tiny house is very attractive on YouTube, I don’t want to live in one. Why? Because I’d have to get rid of so much of my stuff. I’m probably repeating myself when I tell you about the satisfaction I feel when I can put my hand on just the right piece of string or weight of paper for a particular job. Some of this stuff has been kicking around since I was a kid. Some of it has been around for longer than that. I could pass the buck and blame it on my dad who grew up during the depression and was accustomed to saving every little scrap of anything interesting. One of his students once made him a sign that said, “Hood’s second-hand store.” We all had a good laugh about that.

            Although I did grow up with a very good model of a ‘keeper of interesting stuff’ I’ll let my dad off the hook. I think stuff represents interesting possibilities for me. There must be an interesting way to use the Styrofoam containers that mushrooms come in. Actually, there is.  I collected a dozen of them and then made myself toss about half. I use them to put small parts in when I’m working on a project. Another use is to hold a wet glue rag when I need to wipe off the glue squeeze-out after clamping up a panel or box. Wipe the excess glue, wipe my fingers and toss the rag into the Styrofoam container until I’ve got the clamps all sorted and I can set the project aside to dry. Then take the container to the sink, wash out the rag, shake out the container and it’s ready for another use.

            One of my latest favourites is a squeeze bottle that once contained mustard. A pet peeve of mine it the bottles that glue comes in. They either have little tops that can easily get lost or they have ones that you pull on to open them up. Those supposedly keep the spout clean. They work all right for a while and then I end up taking a pair of pliers to the top in order to get it open. Sometimes I pull the top right off and if I don’t, I usually end up chewing it up by picking away at the glue that has hardened inside it.  I’ve transferred some of my glue to the mustard container and I’m very satisfied with it. The cap is attached so I don’t lose it. It seems to stay free of clogs and the opening is small enough that it lays down a nice even bead of glue. Now if I could only find something that would be as successful at dispensing the CA glue (crazy glue) without gumming up the spout and building up so that the small, very losable, cap doesn’t end up sitting on a sculpture of dried glue.

            I have a collection of round things, washers and various sizes of bottle lids with a few empty tape rolls thrown in for good measure. I never know when I’m going to need a particular curve in making a box or a template for a spoon or kitchen tool. Rather than dig out a compass or a French curve I dump my treasured round things on the bench and usually find what I need. And, yes, in case you’re wondering, I do own both compasses and French curves. Those aren’t going anywhere either.

Pen organizer and mustard container

            I treated myself to an advent calendar by David’s Tea. Each day’s teabag came in a little box. I found if I glue three of the boxes together, they make a very good holder for pens and spatulas and they are small enough that I can keep the pens much more organized than when I throw them in a yogurt container or a cup on the bench. I’ve also used these boxes to keep wooden clothes pins corralled in a drawer. I don’t hang up laundry in the shop, but I do use clothes pins as clamps and to keep small bits of sandpaper with other small bits of sandpaper. The box that held all of the tea bags is quite sturdy and I can see myself using it to hold screws and small parts so they are easy to see and to reach. This will be better than the mushroom container because it is not as deep, and I’ll be able to better separate small parts. Note to self: throw out one more mushroom container.

            Some things I keep because they represent avenues I haven’t yet explored, or avenues I want to return to. I have a collection of art books and supplies and I am loathe to part with any of them. Learning to draw fascinates me and I think about it most days although I haven’t done anything about it yet. I took a drawing course in university and failed it miserably. Over the years I’ve come to understand that there isn’t any magic to drawing representationally. There are certain exercises and techniques that help to train the eye. Some folks were interested and learned to see early and some of us didn’t. The ones who got going early put in their practice time and got better and better at it. There aren’t shortcuts for those of us who didn’t but if we’re interested and willing to practice, we can make progress.

            There is another side to all this though. I’d like to live in a house that is a bit more organized and a little less full of things. Someday I’ll have to move out or someone will have to clean out after me. In either case it would be advantageous for me to get rid of some of what I have now. I do attack various corners from time to time. We went through all our towels and sheets and took a huge garbage bag full to the Humane Society to use as bedding for the critters in their care. We haven’t missed the towels. Most of my teaching materials are gone although I occasionally come across something that I missed in previous cleanouts.

            There are a number of challenges in downsizing, minimizing, cleaning out – whatever you want to call it.  For one thing it’s a huge job and some days just considering it defeats me. For another I don’t just want to toss things into the landfill, so the problem comes up of where to responsibly send them. That takes research, planning and energy and it’s easier to do nothing.  

            What’s toughest is not wanting to part with things that, at one time, were very important to me. Deciding to let those things go is closing a door on all the possibilities they represent. Maybe I’ll get back into, running, skiing, cycling, canoeing – substitute any of the activities I used to avidly pursue and don’t pursue anymore. Mostly I’m not ready to admit that it’s time to move on. And, in the tradition of grasping at straws, I did give away all my knitting and crocheting equipment only to go out and buy a bunch of it again when I discovered a new interest in it.

            With that, I’m pretty much back where I started, looking at the year ahead and contemplating how this year could be different. I like to think I’m willing to take small steps and that maybe this year I’ll take a few small steps more often than I have in the past and that will lead to a noticeable difference in the number of things that share my space.  Stay tuned and I wish you and your stuff all the best for 2020.