November 1, 2021
Reflections, Day 24
So many old and lovely things are stored in the world’s attic because we don’t want them around us and we don’t dare throw them out.”
― John Steinbeck,
I have this piano bench that belonged to Aunt Gladys. The top and the legs are “wore out,” and there is no piano to accompany it. I don’t really want it. No one in my family wants it. I can’t find anyone who won’t charge me to get rid of Aunt Gladys’s piano bench. I could put it out for the garbage. Aunt Gladys doesn’t care because she went on to her great rewards many years ago.
And, I can close my eyes and picture that bench in its place in a dark corner of the attic. I just can’t make myself get rid of it.
I’ve noticed similar things in my mental attic.
There are attitudes, beliefs, convictions, and fears that I’ve had for years. I push them back into the recesses of my mind so I don’t have to think of them.
There’s an old attitude I got from my granny. It’s out-dated, it is no longer socially acceptable and it just plain never works. It never did work. One day I plan to pull that attitude out and get rid of it.
I have tried my best to get rid of prejudices and fears that were passed down by my southern forebearers. Do I need to get rid of both of them or just one? If one, then which? I ask myself as I explore the attic of my mind. After a bit of thought I figured that prejudices and fears went together. One cannot exist without the other. Does that make sense?
And so, to clean out a corner of my mental attic I work at getting rid of these prejudices and fears. I found that I can’t just throw them out but that I must break them apart and deal with the little pieces as I pick them up.
Sometimes it’s easiest to throw out the piano bench and then, pleased with myself, go watch television.
—john shulz
johntheplantman--Gardening 