What to do with your NRA certifications

[verbotenwhisky]

I can see both sides, keep it vs discard. If it was me I'd have a natural inclination to keep it. However, after my ongoing experiences with my mother's estate, I've changed my views. I have had to go through more than 70 years of stuff, that just shouldn't have been kept. Had to discard tons of effective ephemera. Mom seemed to hold on to everything.

Keep what you hold dear, but don't stack it in closets and tuck it away. Once it goes into storage it's a sign to get rid of it. If you think family would value it, maybe keep it, or simply take a picture and toss it. All I can say is I have a ton of work to go through stuff, and it's not something to wish on anyone. Be kind to the survivors, make the hard decision today, one way or another, and move on.

I have so many things that mean something to me that will likely mean nothing to my children other than maybe it was mine. An old woman I had known all my life once gave me a small doily she had made out of thin plastic grocery bags, each time I pick it up and move it I think about her, very pleasant memories, a feel good moment and the doily means nothing to anyone else but there is is on the corner of my desk decades after she moved on. Yeah, memories, stuff that seems stupid to others are important to me because there are memories attached to them, the kids can be angry that they have to go through my stupid stuff, its the cost of letting the old man todder off into the sunset surrounded by things that remind him of wondrous moment, friends long gone and better days. The payoff is they get the things they want to keep and likely a few things they keep because as they go through them they share the memory which prompted the old man to keep it in the first place.

 

[GeneT45]

I have so many things that mean something to me that will likely mean nothing to my children other than maybe it was mine. An old woman I had known all my life once gave me a small doily she had made out of thin plastic grocery bags, each time I pick it up and move it I think about her, very pleasant memories, a feel good moment and the doily means nothing to anyone else but there is is on the corner of my desk decades after she moved on. Yeah, memories, stuff that seems stupid to others are important to me because there are memories attached to them, the kids can be angry that they have to go through my stupid stuff, its the cost of letting the old man todder off into the sunset surrounded by things that remind him of wondrous moment, friends long gone and better days. The payoff is they get the things they want to keep and likely a few things they keep because as they go through them they share the memory which prompted the old man to keep it in the first place.

That brought a tear to my eye. It reminded me of Mrs. (Bertha) Darby, whose lawn I used to mow. I charged her $2. That was cheap, even in those days, and she usually got me to do some extra work (edging, weeding, etc), but even as a kid I understood that she was retired and that $2 was real money at least in her eye.

That's where the similarity ends. While Mrs. Darby gave me several things over the years, I have none of them today, but I still remember her fondly. The memory, and not the artifact, is the important part. I remember that she gave me several things, but I no longer recall what they were. What I do remember is lemonade made from fresh lemons after mowing her lawn, hauling her rose trimmings to the trash, bringing her some of the tenderloin from my first deer, and cleaning her walk.

The tokens of gratitude which she bestowed upon me are unimportant. Perhaps important at the time, but meaningless in the present. I shall remember her (and others) forever, but any token of her existence is meaningless to my kids, or anyone else who never met her.

GsT

 

[WobblyHand]

The tokens of gratitude which she bestowed upon me are unimportant. Perhaps important at the time, but meaningless in the present. I shall remember her (and others) forever, but any token of her existence is meaningless to my kids, or anyone else who never met her.

I feel the same. That's the crux of it. Believe me, I have a heck of a time chucking things out, it pulls at me. On the other hand, I'm at the other end, dealing with mountains of things that mean nothing to my kids or my sister, or me. I'm in the weird position of being the patriarch, there's no one for me to hand off some of the memorabilia to. I have saved some items and mementos of common experience, that are part of the family history.

But you know, I really don't have to save the (whole) magazines or local newspapers where my folks visited without us, unless we, the living, have some connection. You know those handout maps they give to tourists in an area, by the chamber of commerce? Yeah, I have had to toss them. Probably hundreds of them. And little notebooks with what wardrobe my Mom planned on bring to a trip? Out they go. File cabinets full of them. All the while sorting through things to see if there's something actually important nestled within the ephemera.

Three days ago, I threw away 4 ticket booklets to Disneyland, (in Anaheim) circa 1964. FYI, a whole book of tickets was a whopping $5.95 back then. It felt weird throwing that away, but what am I going to do with this stuff? If it were the only thing, it wouldn't be bad, but when there's hundreds of pounds of this, that's just too, too much. My own house is full of my own junk stuff, I am not obligated to own someone else's, forever. It wasn't your life, so you don't need to keep it.

So, if you are not a hoarder, and you keep a few items, because you like them, and make you happy, that's cool. On the other hand, hoarding mountains of stuff - even if neatly put away, it's just really unkind to the people who have to clean up after you.

 

[verbotenwhisky]

That brought a tear to my eye. It reminded me of Mrs. (Bertha) Darby, whose lawn I used to mow. I charged her $2. That was cheap, even in those days, and she usually got me to do some extra work (edging, weeding, etc), but even as a kid I understood that she was retired and that $2 was real money at least in her eye.

That's where the similarity ends. While Mrs. Darby gave me several things over the years, I have none of them today, but I still remember her fondly. The memory, and not the artifact, is the important part. I remember that she gave me several things, but I no longer recall what they were. What I do remember is lemonade made from fresh lemons after mowing her lawn, hauling her rose trimmings to the trash, bringing her some of the tenderloin from my first deer, and cleaning her walk.

The tokens of gratitude which she bestowed upon me are unimportant. Perhaps important at the time, but meaningless in the present. I shall remember her (and others) forever, but any token of her existence is meaningless to my kids, or anyone else who never met her.

GsT

Yeah you got me I'm sentimental and the kids can just deal with it.

 

[PNW_Guy]

Over the years I purged a little bit every time I moved.

There's one or two things I can't find, but for the most part I still have too much crap.

The one thing I wish I had were the leathers I wore when racing motorcycles as a kid. My mom was a hell of a seamstress and bought an industrial sewing machine. She made me and my brother full sets of leathers - multiple colors, stripes, numbers, the whole deal. I never took them when I moved out, and neither of us can find them in her house or attic. I should probably try and find some photos.

 

[Janderso]

put them on your front door as a warning.

My wife would not approve.

 

[Janderso]

Still have my top gun award from police academy

That's a keeper!!

 

[Ulma Doctor]

My wife would not approve.

Hang them up on a wall in the shop, someone will appreciate them

 

[Janderso]

I can see both sides, keep it vs discard. If it was me I'd have a natural inclination to keep it. However, after my ongoing experiences with my mother's estate, I've changed my views. I have had to go through more than 70 years of stuff, that just shouldn't have been kept. Had to discard tons of effective ephemera. Mom seemed to hold on to everything.

Keep what you hold dear, but don't stack it in closets and tuck it away. Once it goes into storage it's a sign to get rid of it. If you think family would value it, maybe keep it, or simply take a picture and toss it. All I can say is I have a ton of work to go through stuff, and it's not something to wish on anyone. Be kind to the survivors, make the hard decision today, one way or another, and move on.

Some good points here.
I can see my boys going through my stuff.
Yeah, dad was a bad ass. You want em? Nah

 

[55fairlane]

I guess I'd hang them up in my shop. I'm proud of my accomplishments. I get it meaningless to most. I shot CMP service rifle for years before becoming a match rifle guy. I'll let my kids figure out what's important to them, they can do that after I pass on, until then, my shop walls are covered in non football memorabilia.....tell me what is your small rig?