[item] A child’s rocking chair
[purchase info] My grandpa made this for me when I was little
[time in my possession] Approximately my whole life
[last used] When my boys were little
[difficulty level in getting rid of it] Medium, maybe difficult at some point
[destination] Freecycle, but it ended up with a friend
[replacement item] None
[info] Don’t judge me. Yes, my grandpa made this for me. When my boys were little, I painted it and put it in their room. So why would I get rid of this? Because it’s stuff. I have great memories of my grandpa and many photos of us. I don’t need to keep this in order to remember him. If this was something I kept in my house and displayed, then it would make sense to keep it.
So what about the “I’m saving it for my kids to pass on” theory? It’s not that I don’t believe in it, but I’m just trying to do that in a minimalist way. We all have items that have been passed down to us. Some are cool and others we just don’t like. I met someone this week that got a Persian rug from her grandmother. She has many of these rugs that she likes, however she doesn’t care for this one. It’s rolled up in a closet.
When I painted over the worn, lacquered medium oak wood with the blue 60’s teddy bear decal, my mom had a fit. Why? I was taking something old and turning it into something I liked and that would work with my decor. Yes, if my goal was to keep the value of it as an antique, then that would have been a bad plan.
I have no regrets on this item. As it turns out, the freecycle person never came for it. My neighbor and friend, Caron, saw it and asked to take it. Caron will appreciate this and actually use it in her classroom. She said she’s holding it for me until I come to my senses and want it back. Everyone needs a Caron in their life. She will own that chair forever. I’m happy that it has a good home, Caron is happy to have a cool item for her classroom and that it’s rescued from going to a stranger and my grandpa would be happy that it’s not in a landfill. I take after my grandpa a bit. I really don’t think it would bother him a bit that I got rid of it. If it makes you feel any better, I have an antique table that was my great-grandma’s pride and joy. My grandma would be really upset with me if I got rid of it, so I’m not and I won’t.