Hallmark Moment

Today is my 35th birthday thus I feel compelled to do a celebratory downsize. As the cards and well wishes flood me from all avenues (face to face, facebook, mail, email, phone - all of the lines of communication are working!) I feel blessed and overwhelmed all at once. But as I look at my birthday for the first time through the eyes of a downsizer, I quickly assess that our birthday customs encourage the accumulation of stuff. As an adult the stuff is less in the toy category and more in the Hallmark venue. Don't get me wrong, I love cards - and the sentiments they hold. But my question today is how long does one keep a greeting card? Where does one store them? And when is it ok to recycle them?

In traditional birthday fashion I am proud to display the various cards that I have received today - I am not so cold hearted as to toss them into the blue bin just yet. However, the years worth of greeting cards that are hidden in my hope chest are no longer safe. This afternoon while Kendra napped I sat in my rocker and poured through the hundreds of cards I saved over the years. I assumed as I headed into this task that I would toss them all but I quickly found out that certain messages still roused vivid memories of past times and I was not ready to part with them. And so the culling went on for nearly an hour. At the end of it all I had a large pile of cards - made up primarily of cards that had elaborate messages crafted by Hallmark writers and only signed by the giver - that went straight to recycling. I made a small pile of things for Dajuan to go through (I better not find them hiding in some high place!) and I saved an even smaller stack of cards, letters, and creations by my girls. For safe keeping, I stowed the items in a decorated box which went back into my hope chest.

This downsizing exercise was particularly satisfying. It allowed me to walk down memory lane and reflect on the past 12 years of my life. I laughed at some things and cried at others but more importantly I examined my habit of keeping things that were significant in the moment but perhaps don't have lasting meaning for me. I have concluded that there are certain written words that I treasure. The simple messages from friends and loved ones that express an intimacy of relationship and signify important milestones in my life are the ones with lasting value. Much to Hallmark's chagrin I'm sure, the flowery poems and quaint verses that once seemed to capture and express true feelings fall flat and sound empty to me once they are tested by time. And so, on this night of my birthday as I face 365 days of being 35 I have shed many pounds of paper sentiments. And, I have established a renewed commitment to send homemade cards with heartfelt written words.