While it is true, in a philosophical sense, that none of us is guaranteed our next breath, believing you have very few of them left changes your perspective.
I mentioned in the last article that family came to assist in general cleaning of my home which I hadn't really been up to par to do for a solid six months.
Unbeknownst to me was that my sister would be emptying cupboards and china shelves.
There were a lot of trinkets in the china shelf. Some are absolutely irreplaceable...some miniature Toby jugs from my father-in-law's estate, wedding photos, a Lladro figurine I brought back from Lichtenstein, a Holy Family ceramic figurine I painted in a similar style. Treasures of memories that primarily only I have.
There were other trinkets too. Once upon a decade they were valuable to me, but no longer. It was easier to toss those oddities as they only meant something to me. Anyone else looking would think oh that's nice, I wonder why she kept a bottle. And it would be a fair thought/question.
This time of cleaning out the china cabinet was a bit easier because of that very reason - it only meant something to me. So, I said good-bye to some china, a bottle, and some other items. Most meant nothing to me any more and would mean zero to my children. Why should I continue to hang on to these things when they are going to get tossed or donated at a future date? Moreover, several of the items only brought back painful memories. Memories that in retrospect weren't really all that positive to begin with, but I had chosen to place a positive spin on.
Getting rid of some of these items allowed me to look at the event, remember the fullness of it, and decide if the memory was something I wanted a continual reminder of. In many cases, I chose to remember this last last time and then to let that memory go.
I believe I will be mentally healthier for it, if not a little bit more physically healthy as well.
Facing the past, looking at it dispassionately, and deciding the fate of the object reminding me of the past. That, for being in a relatively weak physical state was a bit of dangerous living.