THOSE PROJECTS THAT KEEP HANGING AROUND

The lazy-hazy-crazy days of summer. Oh Bliss!  

Why did I ever think last spring that I would have time this summer to tackle those projects that have been hanging around for ages?  

I frequently hear those words from others, and I have been known to say them myself (today!). 

What are those projects that are still sitting on shelves?

• The flute that I played years ago. (Oh and my parents paid so much for my lessons!) I always thought I would play again.

• The craft project that I loved doing a decade ago. (I have all those supplies to use!) But now I have a new favourite hobby.

• The old desk that belonged to a great uncle. (I loved seeing him use it!) It needs repairs before it can ever be used.

• A pile of brand-new photo albums. (That was a pile of cash!) They have been sitting empty for 10 years.

• My Dad’s photo albums that were his pride and joy. Eight of them. He loved them, and I loved him.

As I ponder these items, this quotation credited to William James hits home for me:

Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task.

So often we know we need to let belongings go but we can’t bear to do it. The emotional pangs of releasing part of our past can be heart-wrenching. 

Yet some of my uncompleted tasks have moved with me eight times!  Each move adds more weight to my shoulders. And neither my great uncle nor Dad would want me to carry such a burden.

 Time for action: 

• I have called the local school about the flute. Someone answered (in July!) and said YES.

• The craft project is in boxes for a local charity garage sale. One piece of my own work is displayed in my living room.

• A young cousin will refinish and use the desk. I tucked my great uncle’s story and a photo inside.

• My old photos are going in 4 x 6 boxes from a craft store.

• Dad’s albums? The toughest one. I have set a November deadline to have dealt with them. I plan to talk with someone over the next months about how challenging it is to let them go, and what I might do to honour some of those photos and Dad in a special way.

And now to the garden ~ and summer!