In praise of landfills

Iwrote last year about all the stuff we collect over a lifetime and how our children likely will have the burden of having to deal with it all when our brief stay is completed.

There’s mountains of it, for sure: Furniture, glassware, clothing, vehicles, photographs, kitchenware, artwork, tools, awards, yada, yada.

I find it remarkable just how many material things we can gather over the years even though we seldom if ever wind up using most of it. It instead stuffs our closets, attics, basements and storage buildings.

I was reminded of this the other day after the passing of my Uncle Kenneth Masterson, who for decades collected family photos, letters and mementos.

His daughter recently forwarded one large box he’d filled with the many recognitions earned during the life of his brother Ron.

Uncle Ron, a former Chicago baker, retired and moved to Pearcy, near Hot Springs, during the 1970s. A native of Maynard in eastern Arkansas, he always had a creative ability that kept him occupied and helped him establish a considerable reputation in the art of songwriting.

Included in the cardboard box I received were numerous news accounts of the awards Ron received from state and national songwriting groups. The subjects of his work ranged from gospel to popular.

The array of awards grew to become impressive.

Setting aside the zippered case filled with cassette tapes of his songs, I sat for an hour reading through various articles about Ron’s unique skill at artfully blending words with music.

It dawned on me in the process of that review that all of Ron’s achievements, all those the moments of joy in his life over writing something special enough to have it recognized by his peers, had wound up stuffed into manila envelopes only to land in my lap 30 years after his passing.

Songwriting certainly provided a sense of purpose and fulfillment to Ron’s later years.

Yet today, who has the space or inclination to invest their own time and energy into properly preserving it all? Not me. I loved my good-natured uncle the way most nephews do. But those feelings can’t create space enough to store his richly deserved accolades and stories until I depart.

And, outside of my remembrances of Uncle Ron’s many accomplishments, I know I won’t make the time to go through this box again despite any good intentions.

Gosh knows I have enough personal material collected over 50 years in this craft to occupy my office space. I suspect many reading do as well.

And as I glance around these walls, it’s obvious my children and relatives will feel the same way when all this ego-salving accumulation is removed and boxed away. Where in their busy worlds would they put it? And why?

So yet again I face and accept the reality of life’s inevitable cycle designed to hopefully keep each of our lives humbled by common-sense perspectives and ever aware that landfills indeed serve a valuable purpose.

Rules for life

With this in mind, allow me to share what I found that defines cardinal rules for life.

It’s never wise to compare your life with what others have. You have no idea what their life’s journey is all about.

Trust only when it is deserved and earned and be prepared to abandon that trust if others violate it.

Smile every chance you get. You neither own nor shoulder the burdens of the planet.

Make peace with your past. It’s forever gone and can never be changed, but can affect your present and future if you allow that.

What others may think of you is really none of your business. All you can do is accept responsibility for your own thoughts and actions.

No one except you is responsible for your happiness.

Time can and often does heal almost everything if we can simply allow it to unfold.

Stop overthinking. It’s perfectly acceptable not to have or know the answers that will come in proper time and usually when you least expect them.

Before accepting or ignoring obvious lies, recognize that evil flourishes in direct correlation with the amount of truth that is violated. A big lie equals big evil.

Recognize that qualities of integrity and morality do matter in a world that does not exist by accident.

History is replete with accounts of credible men and women who were strong enough to follow their own reasoning and common sense rather than following the masses who tried to convince them they were wrong.

Offended nation

I’ve lately become confused over just how offended many Americans say they are over, well, you can pretty much name the subject from politics to others actually having a different view of life.

In fact, all this offensiveness permeating the country led me to compile a list of some matters I find offensive (might as well join the crowd, eh?) For instance, I’m offended:

That someone else’s perceived offenses might be considered by some as being greater than my own right to be offended.

That freedom of expression and speech guaranteed under our Constitution are under attack by groups who believe only their narrow thought processes matter, regardless of how clearly radical they might be.

That Washington, D.C., sadly has spiraled to new lows into a cesspool of corruption, lies, self-seeking, irresponsibility and greed.

That not nearly enough folks are offended by the lack of basic respect being shown toward others in today’s increasingly callous society.

That some states across our nation take literal weeks to count election results.

That no matter what I write, there are those who choose to misconstrue or mischaracterize my words in order to push their own agendas.

That simply listening to others has become a lost art form.

That our flag and national anthem are no longer shown the widespread honor they deserve, paid for by all the blood and sacrifice from our nation’s soldiers, sailor and airmen.

Thanks to readers

Finally today, thank you to all the readers who’ve emailed me in the Christmas season to express their appreciation and support for my efforts in this space three times weekly. Criticism and negative judgments from others are part of the process that has become familiar over 50 years, so it makes me smile to realize there are so many adult readers with opposite views. One will never please everyone in this business of opinion writing.

Now go out into the world and treat everyone you meet exactly how you want them to treat you.