Sometimes junk is just junk

For me, this week was another one about the odd lessons in life. Near one of the places a homeless I guy I know stays at, I noticed someone opened up a store with the "Pickers" name added to it. I love the show on History about Pickers, so I thought I would take a minute to check it out.

For those of you that don't know, on the History channel show, these two guys go out and pick through people's stuff and try to buy things of value that they can sell in their own shop. Some of the stuff they find is really cool. I like old things. I like the idea of finding value in something that somebody else might consider junk. It's like the old saying goes: "One man's trash is another man's treasure." I think this applies to people as well. A lot of the folks I work with are those others go out of their way to avoid, but I believe their lives have value.

Now back to the shop I visited. I took a look around and asked some questions. Unfortunately, My excitement quickly waned. I think a more appropriate saying for this situation would be: "Sometimes, one persons junk is another person's junk." This store had a lot of stuff in it, but nothing of high value. As is the case with many pickers and antique collectors, this store owner might have the good stuff hidden somewhere else, but I do wonder how long a store with stuff nobody wants in it can stay open.

In any event, this was a good reminder for me. I think we often hold on to a lot of junk in our lives that we really have no business holding on to: mentally, emotionally, and physically. We often hold on to memories, grudges, or ill will because we believe we have some kind of right to hold on to them, but in reality, they are just junk. We need to be honest with ourselves, do an inventory, and separate the trash from the treasure. Otherwise, we end up burying ourselves to death in junk, and that's just no way to live.

This week, take some time to think about what you are holding on to. Is it junk, or is it treasure? If you say it is treasure, then you should truly treasure it. However, if you know you are holding on to something in your life that needs to go, be strong enough to let it go. Have a wonderful week, my friends!