Survey #271—Full Response from Ginger
| Think about an item that you received as a gift and have struggled to part with. What factors—thoughts, feelings, memories, stories, beliefs, etc.—make (or made) it difficult for you to decide to let this item go? | ▪️A blue swirl glass vase from my ex-MIL. It’s on my list of sentimental items. I’ve thought of letting it go so many times. But, I can’t yet. It may take a visit to her grave for some type of closure before I can let it go. Maybe I’ll fill the vase with flowers and take it to her grave just for a photo. Then, drop the vase of flowers at a local nursing home. ▪️I write stories about my items and my feelings about them. ▪️The story I wrote about it: See this pretty little vase? My ex-mother-in-law gave it to me in 1979. She bought it on a trip back to her old home place in Tennessee. She had a green vase just like it. I loved my mother-in-law. (And father-in-law.) She was a strong women. Petite. When I divorced her son in 1982 it pained me to never be able to visit with her again. After the divorce I used to call her home just to hear her voice. I wouldn’t talk. I just wanted to hear her voice then I would hang up. (This was just before caller ID.) I finally got past the need to hear her voice. I moved on. Well... a part of me moved on. I still have the vase. It doesn’t fit in with any of my decor. It’s been on the top of my open kitchen cabinets gathering greasy dust until i took it down, cleaned and moved it to my bedroom windowsill - hidden behind a curtain. Like a secret. I should really let this go. Or, get it out and use it with sweet memories of a beautiful relationship I once had with the giver. |
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| What’s your favorite clutter-conscious gift to give (for example: gift cards; event tickets; food, drinks, or other consumables; subscriptions; and so on), and why? What’s your favorite clutter-conscious gift to receive, and why? | ▪️Usually cash. But, I like to fold it origami style. For Father’s Day one year - I didn’t want to give Dad a gift card or some thoughtless gift. He had 8 children and already had everything he needed or wanted. I gave him a $100 bill folded into a shirt & tie. It was in a little homemade box. He said it was the best shirt & tie he ever received. It fit him perfectly. 😁 |
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