The Actual Value of Sentiment

Hello My Dear Friends! Today I was reflecting, as I often do, on the kinder, gentler days of my youth. Back in the day, when someone you cared about gave you something you kept it. It had "sentimental value". Today, like the US dollar, sentiment's value continues to decrease. I recall a conversation that the captor had with her mother not too long ago. Mom was reminiscing about how she save the captor's first tooth, a lock of hair from her first haircut and her first pair of shoes. 'How sweet' the captor thought, when mom continued, "Well, I saved them for a long time anyway". The captor inquired as to their whereabouts now and was told, "Seriously? It's been 50 years! How would I know"? Indeed. It's hard to argue with. It's something we all struggle with. How long do you keep greeting cards? The captor has recently moved into an "un-clutter phase". For most of her life, the captor was a pack rat. Now, not so much. Remember when 'autograph books' were popular? You'd bring them to school and your friends would write silly little things in them like " 2 good + 2 be 4 gotten". Yup. A box of those went into the trash a few months ago. The funny thing is, as the captor paged through them, she couldn't remember half of the people who claimed to be 2 good + 2 be 4 gotten. Guess they were wrong. Greeting cards last for one week after the intended event then, out they go. After unloading a Hefty bag full of old concert tee shirts (no valuable vintage ones) we no long purchase them. Do you really need to "buy the shirt"? Can't you just settle for the "been there; done that"? Maybe it's just me. Maybe it's just a natural byproduct of getting older but, it seems to me, that things just don't mean what they used to. Today, looking at chachkies, that used to evoke memories of vacations, victories and good times, now serve as a reminder that it's time to dust. Ever find a roll of film in the back of a drawer and take it to the store to see what's on it? Yup. Found two rolls a few weeks ago. Set them on the counter for about a week and then tossed them out. How important could they have been to have ended up in a drawer to begin with? There's a fine line between keepsakes and crap these days and that line is getting thinner. Jim Croce (remember him) wrote "Photographs and memories, Christmas cards you sent to me, all that I have are these, to remember you". He must have had a poor memory and a bigger house than me. Anyway, I may regret it one day but, at some point, sentimental value has to be balanced with drawer space.
Po