Every now and then, I peruse my bookshelf in my studio. Not looking for anything in particular, I find things that astound me. What I find is the story of my life summed up in souvenirs. It seems that cheap, inconsequential crap is what I save! I counted seven (7) toy cable cars from San Francisco, scattered throughout the house. Primarily in my den and studio. These were collected in 1993, on a business trip to San Francisco! What was I thinking? If there is ever a shortage of cheap models of cable cars from San Francisco, I have made a wise investment! OK, maybe not.
Maybe cable cars are not your thing. How about a toy car from the Deutsche Post International? A nice yellow metal car, with moveable tires and doors that open? I got that from a direct mail convention from somewhere. Would you care for a 747-model jet plane, again in metal, from Alitalia Airlines I once purchased at an airport is collecting dust? Small white rubber footballs from I don’t know where, which by the way is neat for indoor play! Probably thought it would look good next to my Joe Namath autographed football I won. A Benihana Japanese lady drink holder, with straw hole sits looking at me, in which I stuck American and Italian flags in. (The American flag is on the right, of course.) Baseballs, cups, mugs, and a seashell, all grace my shelf with a story behind them. I even have a lei from somewhere, where, I don’t know!
It reminds me of a true story. Many years ago, my Dad’s cousin passed away. Before he died, while on his deathbed, he instructed his wife to remove a holy picture from off a wall that hung over his bed, and place it, frame and all in his coffin! Not being a religious man, his wife thought it wonderful that the guy was making such a request. Well, his day of reckoning came, and the undertaker took the picture down and tried to fit it in the casket. It wouldn’t fit! So, the undertaker decided to remove the picture from the frame and roll it up. When he did, he found (Are you sitting for this, it’s true) $50,000! That is Fifty Thousand Dollars! His grieving wife, the poor widow, decided to dispense with any more formalities and was last seen on the Champs Elysees!
My collection extends to paper as well. I have small brochures that are maybe 38 years old, that I have never read since I picked them up, small booklets that I kept so some day I could throw them out, and even scraps of paper that have no meaning anymore to me. I kept them all because I figured someday they would come in handy! There are baseball caps, military hats and foreign flags, why I don’t know. I guess I’m just a sentimental old fool. If I kick the bucket, please just pack it all up, and put it in a U-haul, and I’ll take it with me.
Please remember all those that need our hopes and prayers, including MMB (My Man Bill) and my brother-in-law, John.
No comments:
Post a Comment