Not Letting Go

We all have it — stuff. Some we’ve had since childhood. College. Careers. Marriages. Let it go or keep it? I still have a pencil holder I made in vacation bible school as a child. I love it and still use it — not letting that go.

Or maybe you’ve got BIG stuff. Or BIG feelings. Maybe you have feelings you love and don’t want to lose that loving feeling. All sorts of things to not let go.

My Car

Without a doubt, my Mazda Protege is my pride and joy. I love my car. It is silver with 142,173 miles. It turned 20 years old this year. That’s as long as Paul and I have been married.

I bought it new. In fact, one day Paul drove it home from work and parked it in the garage. He said, ”What do you think?”

Well, it’s hard not to like a brand spanking new car sitting in your garage, knowing an employee discount could be had. “I like it a lot.” Sold.

It has been the best car for me. No bells or whistles. No warmed or cooled seats (as appealing as that sounds). Basically, just an adjustable seat and a comfortable steering wheel — what more do I need? Nice stereo. The sunroof is awesome! It’s my favorite feature.

I love the simplicity of its functionality. Paul has taken great care of it. It hasn’t had any major problems. It’s never been in the shop for repair. And somehow, I have been blessed with no accidents either.

Through the years I have thought I’d like a newer car, but I don’t have a real good reason for trading in. When it comes time to say so long to the Mazda, I would like an electric car.

They make such sense, and I’d like to make a contribution to the environment. However, I can’t see dipping into retirement savings in an effort to save the planet. I can dream though. Besides, my Mazda has many miles to go before it sleeps.

Have you seen the new technology they are working on in Sweden where you can be driving your car down the road and it’s being charged at the same time?

Absolutely fascinating and horrifyingly expensive, but a great futuristic idea. Coming to Detroit in a year or so.

Can’t let the Mazda go.

Bygone Clothes

Nope, not letting go of all those clothes.

In 2007, my internist told me I needed to lose weight. I couldn’t believe what she had just said. I never thought I was carrying too much weight. Don’t ask me what I was thinking.

At the time, I weighed about 175 wearing a Size 14 and well on my way to Size 16. So now I realize I have some work to do. Egads.

This was when I got the first trainer. He came to the house. I lifted weights. He taught me to jog. Jog to that mailbox. A few sessions later, jog to the next mailbox — on my own time, not while he was training.

Before I knew it, I was jogging all the way down the street and back. I jogged most days. I incorporated hills. This was the beginning of my love affair with jogging. The pounds were peeling off, and I had not changed my diet yet.

This was the genesis of a years’ long journey to lose weight. My doctor took me off blood pressure and cholesterol medicines.

During this ”downsizing,” my wardrobe was taking a hit. I bought clothes and then before long they didn’t fit. So I’d buy another batch.

Sometimes I had them altered to cut back on the expense of something new, plus I was losing some of my favorite pieces.

All of this to say, I have three closets full of multiple sizes of clothing. There’s always that thought in the back of my mind the weight could creep back on. So I think I’m set for life on clothes.

I cannot let go of them.

White Hair

My hair is white around the front part of my head, brown in the back. Some call it salt ’n pepper.

Vanity causes me to call it white. I think calling it gray sounds like an old person. And if there’s anything I’m not, it’s old — well, maybe a little. We all get white, not gray, eventually. Nice to know. I use white now for everyone. Why wait?

For a long while I put the color-in-a-bottle on my hair. I started doing this once I realized that basically the hair stylist was doing the same thing. I’ll save some money.

If you have gone the at-home route, you know it’s irksome — at least it was for me. Cleared the rugs off the bathroom floor. Put down old towels to protect the tile flooring.

I had a special outfit I wore for this ordeal. Black shorts. Black short-sleeved t-shirt. Barefeet. The thin, clear plastic gloves. Dye was always dripping here and there.

Put the mixture in the bottle and off I went squeezing away light sable semi-permanent hair color all over my head. The eyebrows were not overlooked.

I don’t know how long I did this every 4-6 week ritual, but it was not a fun way to spend time on precious Saturdays. What a drag.

Then one Saturday I was in the throes of the process. I was covered in sable dye on my head, edges of my face, tops of ears, and eyebrows. Outfit on. Bathroom door open. Paul walks by and says, “What are you doing?” — just out of the blue.

“Do you see what you look like in that get-up and that hair stuff going on? Why are you doing that?” He wasn’t harsh. Just serious inquisitiveness.

I was just handed my get out of hair coloring free card. He’s perfectly fine with white hair (and me, too). I guess I was coloring it all along so he wouldn’t have a wife with white hair. I assumed but never asked.

Not letting go of the white hair again.

Technology

The book came out in 1994. The author is Elaine St. James. The title, Simplify Your Life: 100 Ways to Slow Down and Enjoy the Things that Really Matter. You know me, always looking for that rainbow!

I’ll digress a little and mention just a few of the 100 ideas in the book.

Category: Lifestyle

1. Move to a smaller house
2. Turn off the TV

Category: Your Finances

1. Rethink your buying habits
2. Consolidate your investments

Category: Your Health

1. Fire your personal trainer and go take a walk
2. Learn to laugh; learn yoga

Category: Your Personal Life

1. Just be yourself
2. Stop trying to change people

Times have changed. Yet some of her ideas are pertinent 28 years later. I’m pretty sure I read this in her book, but I am unable to confirm: Beware the lure of electronics.

We were about the last people on the block to get smartphones — just last November. We enjoyed our 3G dumb phones without complaint.

We ended up getting iPhones 11. I miss my 3G, but I love playing games on the new phone. Wordle, WordHurdle (allows for 4-letter, 5-letter, or 6-letter words, you pick), Spelling Bee, and The Times’ Mini Crossword Puzzle. I think it is safe to say I’m addicted.

There’s also just Hurdle, an interesting twist very similar to Wordle. If you love Wordle, I highly recommend.

Have you noticed that when a new phone or software comes out, you’re pressing more buttons to do the same thing you did on your previous phone with fewer strokes?

But like all technology, if I’m going to function in society, I have to keep upgrading and pressing more and more buttons. It’s annoying.

So, as much as I might like to, I’m not giving the electronics up. I just can’t imagine the next major electronic device that will come on the market.

You know it will be something we’ll all eventually have to have. Ms. St. James was right, beware the lure of electronics.

Letting go …

I’ll have to let go of these things eventually.

One day I’ll have to get a new car (maybe not though). It’s happening already — my hair is leaving my head. One day I may move someplace where there are not three available closets for bygone clothes and shoes.

As for electronics, I just don’t see them ever going away, only piling up.

I miss the days of picking up the cordless wall phone and answering “Hello” and not knowing who it could be. I enjoyed it when Paul’s dad or mother called and I’d have a moment to visit with them before handing the phone to Paul.

So, I miss the olden days. But what would we do without FaceTime, Skype, Zoom, etc.? I just learned of a couple who were married on Zoom. There’s no looking back.

Namaste 🙏

💙💛

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