One of the benefits of my professional organizing job is learning about the fascinating lives of the people I serve. As we work together, we sort and make decisions about what to keep and what to give. Naturally, the history of an item comes up in our conversation.
Recently I was working de-cluttering a client’s closet when she pulled out several hangers in plastic bags and said, “Martha, you will enjoy looking at these.” She proceeded to explain to me that her mother had saved several special pieces of clothing from when she was a young girl growing up in Deadwood, SD.
My client is a very youthful 93 years old. That meant that these were 1930’s fashions! Perhaps it is my love of fabric, or of history, but each piece was unique and elegant.
We decided to see if the clothing would be of interest to the OSU Textile and Costume Department. Gayle S. said they were swamped with donations at the moment and referred us to the Adams House Museum in Deadwood.
Arlette H, the curator there, was thrilled with the prospect of receiving the historical donation! Since my client’s family was well known in the legal profession, Arlette recognized the name. I’m sure that made the discovery even more valuable to the town’s history.
This is a synopsis of the clothing items we mailed to the museum in Deadwood:
- A “swing” dress of colorful silk with a flare skirt that my client wore in High School when she danced to big band sounds in neighboring towns of Leed and Silverfish.
- The two-piece lace and wool dress that she was wearing when she competed in oratory contest at the state level.
- A “reddin” coat and dress set of peach knit with trapunto accents.
- The grey silk blouse with hand sewn buttonholes and shirring that completed a suit.
- Finally, my client pulled out a faux fur coat made of a long, curly brown fur that I found later was carakul or Persian Lamb imitation.
This story means a lot to me because we were able to find a place that would value and care for these unique items. My client was so pleased and relieved to know that the clothing would be displayed for others to enjoy.
Perhaps you have held onto something that you feel is unique and valuable. My suggestions to you are:
1. Brainstorm about the interest angle a particular group of people or organization might have in that slice of history.
2. Do some research on where, when and how these items came into your possession.
3. Contact two or more schools, museums, or organizations with a description of the items and some of the historical significance – the “stories” behind the things.
4. Send digital images to highlight the unique qualities of each piece.
5. Be ready to make a donation of value to benefit others unless the item(s) are extremely rare and costly.
This is one of the more enjoyable parts of my job… discovering buried treasure to share with others.
Making Clutter Decisions – Swing, Batter!
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010The pile of things to do grows each time I don’t make a decision on how to deal with that item, email, or piece of paper. That is clutter, the result of my postponed decisions. In addition to physical clutter, my brain sends messages reminding me of those things still to take care of , producing mental clutter!
It helps to envision myself as a baseball player up to bat. The ball (a decision to make) comes my way. I can choose to do something with that pitch or let it go by for “ball one.”
The team manager (me again) reminds me that I get three strikes before I am OUT. I encourage myself to take a stab at the next ball (decision.) I may connect the first time. I tell myself to do it NOW!
I may make a few mistakes. I may flub a few decisions the first time. But I learn more from the mistakes than from making no decisions at all. The best part is – the piles of clutter are disappearing little by little. Hooray!
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