Commentary 19 - DECLUTTERING

SHAKY HANDS AND MOIST EYES GO WITH DECLUTTERING 

(Written by Warren Maloney for Friends on 3 June 2024)

This morning I began something that should have been tackled a while ago - decluttering the persona of my past lives in Business and Politics.

First the Tie drawer(s). No one wears ties any more - Not even to funerals. But ties & in my case, bow-ties, were the essence of my daily image from school through to the 2nd retirement - 50+ years. And they were an easy present to give Warren - the footy club ties or the Rotary ones or that outrageous bow-tie for the next family wedding. This morning I instantly knew the story behind each and had to accept that the stories are still worth telling but the ties do not have to be kept. 

But what about the blue one with pink flying pigs that I wore to my good friend's 3rd wedding! Or the very narrow school tie - not worn since the very last day of school - November,  1966.  Or the rainbow bowtie ... or the Clan Mackintosh one ... or ever faithful and commented on blue velvet one! 

All into the brown bag to be taken to the Op Shop - who probably will be struggling not to just dump the lot!

So further into the sadness of the morning - the end of 20+ scarves (footy, politics, travel souvenirs, Mum's crochet ones, even "can't remember ever wearing this" ones). 

Then more that denoted my age - cufflinks galore, shirt arm-bands, dress shirt pearl buttons, a myriad of pocket handkerchiefs (colours to match the ties), and pins (you cannot believe the number of pins I kept for causes, affiliations, donations, and on it goes). Then there were the endless baseball-style caps from golf-clubs, sponsors' days, football memberships, and cricket tours!

Bags full. Maybe I won't have the courage to deliver all this PAST to our local op-shop. Nah, I'll put it all in one of those street bins! 

I'd like to think some kid will feel warm draping one of Mum's scarves about his/her/their neck! I'd like to think that someone always wanted pearl dress-shirt buttons or a banana-coloured bow-tie! Or that the fashion will return ... but of course it won't, well not in the same way!

I did keep 1 tie (the blue one with white baby elephants) and 1 bow-tie (the Maloney clan one) and that neck chain I wore on my 1st day of Uni and 1 Carlton scarf and all the beanies that Karen has knitted. One has to draw the line somewhere!

I don't think I will begin the decluttering of the endless "treasures" in the basement this week - too much past thoughts for one day!




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