This morning seemed a harbinger of likely more similar days in the not so near future. I truly enjoy the cooler weather but it was a bit of a shock today from the days previous. The blinding sun early this morning while traveling the roads was also a sign the Autumnal Equinox is not so many days away.
While attempting to get some paperwork caught up on this morning at the office, I ran across an article I saved from a magazine that caught my eye several months ago so I made sure to save it for future reading. Having enough time this morning, I sat down and read it. The thrust of the article which was written by an archeological historian was about how around four to five thousand years ago, both men and women would, in certainly a most primitive way, create body tattoos to the extent of nearly being covered with them. Keep in mind, these were tribes or colonies of people living in present day Europe. To cause their appearance to be even more formidable, they would go into battle naked with all their tattoos exposed so to seem all the more frightening to their opponents. After reading that article earlier, and while out showing homes later, I happened to notice about five shirtless men shingling a home down the street and all of them were heavily tattooed on their chests, arms, backs and legs. With it being as chilly as it was today, I certainly saw no reason for anyone to be shirtless other than for the sake of appearance. I could only imagine what my mother would have said had she seen that sight. Every time I’m around her and she happens to see someone with tattoos she always says, “Don’t they realize what they’re going to look like when they’re old.”
Earlier today I was called out to a client’s home who’s moved to a nursing home. She was wanting to make sure her home would be showable with much of her personal things gone. I walked through it and assured her that all was just fine. One of her children was there and both of them said, “If there’s anything here that you’d like to have?” Having known this dear lady off and on over the years I did mention one small thing that I would like to have if no one else wanted it. Her grandson was also there who is the most pleasant young man and likely a junior or senior in high school. He spoke up and said, “You really should have it because I know you’ll appreciate it.” I said, “Some people have given me things from their belongings over the years and each one of them causes me to recall the people, their homes, and their transactions.” To my surprise the grandson said, “I figured you’re that type of person who keeps things given to you by others as a reminder of them.” With all three of them wishing me to have it, I said, “Ok, I’ll take it and whenever I look at it, I’ll have kind thoughts of you.”
Over so many years of handling estates as well as elderly people moving out of homes they’ve likely been in for years, it makes me a bit ill when I find some of the family members throwing memorabilia away that months and years into the future they likely wished they hadn’t. For me it’s sort of a negation of someone’s existence after they’re gone. People really should start making those shadow boxes again with cubicles and sliding glass fronts for the special keepsakes of a given person. For some reason they’re not being made anymore. For me, its all about the idea of remembrance.
