Highlighting Stuff

Yesterday Liam found a funky looking highlighter in a desk drawer.  It's triangular with a different color on each tip.  He asked if he could use it and since it's been sitting in that drawer for at least as long as he's been alive with no one contemplating using it I said yes.  My biggest regret was that he managed to get some on the shirt he was wearing - a new one I bought so that he wouldn't be stuck going to summer preschool in a wardrobe of shirts that are all slightly too small and look only slightly different after washing than they did before (they are stained.)

Liam's biggest regret was that after he had tried all the tips and put the lids back on, then tried to re-remove the lid of the color that worked best the tip actually broke off.  I have to admit, when he said, "Sorry mom, but I broke...." my heart did a little lurch.  You never know what a preschooler is going to break or how much expense or trouble is going to be involved in replacing or cleaning it up.  On the balance the highlighter was not a big loss.

But today he's remembering again the sad loss of clothing staining potential.  I told him it was OK because it was cheep to begin with (possibly free, actually.)  He says, "So if we need one we can get another one?"  Yes, I tell him, but I don't think we need another one - we weren't really using that one.  "Why?"

"Because we don't want to fill our house up with stuff we don't need."

That's an understatement.  Seriously, what do all the non-organizing-impaired people in the world do with all the old computer cables, packaged food they are never going to eat, pens that might work if you roll the tip over the bottom of a shoe, expired prescriptions that shouldn't end up in landfills and books they once enjoyed reading and might at some point want to revisit?  Are there people out there who don't feel traumatized by the loss of such objects?

One excuse I have (make) is that new stuff comes with an array of scents and fragrances that I still have to work hard to get rid of.  I recently bought two new sets of sheets to try to replace some that have actual holes in them.  I have washed them at least three times.  I put one set on the bed the other night and it didn't bother me - much.  I had to get out an old pillow case, though, to be able to sleep comfortably.  For all the bother of shifting stuff around and trying to remember what I have lurking in dark spaces it sometimes seems better to do that than to spend money that could be more enjoyably used and to soak up extra gallons of water making it usable.

And at times I really do get stuff out and use it after years of ignoring it.  Like when I pulled out my long, over-sized and outdated sweaters this winter to cover up the stretch panels on my maternity pants.  Or re-using the baby clothes that I refused to get rid of after Liam grew out of them - even though we were seriously thinking of NOT re-reproducing.  See - sometimes it works out.

So my saving grace is not getting stuff I don't think we REALLY need.  Like two dozen Hotwheels cars.  Trust me.  We really need those.  Gotta go.  I promised to take Liam to the library for story time.  What I love about the library is that you can give the stuff back.  Except for those book sale books for a dime.  That's a really good deal when you consider how much I would probably otherwise spend on fines.