Just read a terrific New York Times article about the effect heirlooms have on on our lives entitled “How to Lose a Legacy” by Ellen Lupton. Humorous, colorful, timely – this article does a good job of naming the behaviors and beliefs that keep us holding on to dusty relics of our past.
Some of my favorite lines:
- An “heirloom” is an object steeped in family history, handed down from generation to generation: your mother’s wedding dress, your grandma’s espresso cups, your great uncle’s underwear. You can’t buy an heirloom at Pottery Barn or Ikea. It comes via gift, bequest or a heated sibling brawl. But who’s to say you actually want this stale old stuff?
- That musty smell in your favorite antique store? It’s death warmed over, served with a splash of vintage vinegar.
- “It’s the only thing I have from my granddad.” This argument worked; the doe’s second execution was stayed by its status as an heirloom.
- Our kids are mystified: “Why do you have so many books?” A vast personal library — once the sign of well-schooled intellect — may be more bewildering to the rising generation than a collection of mounted game heads.
- Do books have souls? Is there an out-of-print afterlife? Do midlist titles die and go to hell on a flaming Kindle?
- If you lack the courage to sell or destroy your superfluous belongings, you can put them in storage. Rented cubicles are a costly form of denial: you don’t really want these things, so you send them away — often for good.
And my most favorite line:
- Self-storage, says Richard Burt, a professor of English at the University of Florida, is about storing the self. When we place our personal effects in an air-conditioned locker, we put away part of our physical and emotional being, keeping it on life support for as long as we can foot the bill.
What are some of the heirlooms that you’ve saving (polishing, storing, lugging around)? Can you name one (in the comment box below) that you’re ready to release? If we can name the stuff, maybe it will help all of us let go more easily!
p.s. You might also enjoy reading a post I wrote called “Clearing the Past Clears the Present.”
Photo Credit: Painting [cropped] by my very talented friend, Sarah Paino
