Like 2020, 2021 will be a yea of sifting and sorting for me. The move resulted in a reduction of the amount of possessions that we have, but there is still a lot less. We still have boxes in our garage that contain items that are not in current use. I still have tools that are duplicates and may not be needed. There is more, however, that needs to be sorted than physical possessions. I’ve been sorting through old photographs that stir old memories. Some of those photographs are of people that I don’t remember. Some can be discarded. I’ve kept images that are out of focus, duplicate, and for other reasons probably should have been discarded years ago. One of the advantages of having scanned thousands of slides in recent weeks is that it is relatively easy to sort and discard the images that don’t need to be kept. I can make up folders of images to share and move them around with a simple click on the computer. Another advantage is that I have reduced the physical clutter. My computer doesn’t take up more space now that I have tens of thousands of images stored in the cloud.

The topic of sorting came up yesterday in a conversation with my sister, who is two years older than I. She has been doing the same process for several years, having moved from one state to another and downsizing to a smaller home. She has items stored in a large steel outbuilding. I have items in the barn at our son’s farm. Both of us intend to spend significant time this year going through those items and reducing our inventory.

There are people who consider that process to be a chore that must be done and see possessions as a burden that drag one down. My experience, however, has not been like that. I’ve found a great deal of pleasure in the memories that these things stir. I’ve found joy in having memories renewed by the discovery of an item.

I don’t use wood planes very often, but there are occasions when a sharp plane is exactly the right tool for the job. Even though I have a power planer and power sanders, the ability to shave off a thin strip of wood from the bottom of a door is a very satisfying experience. A sharp plane will peel off a curl of wood that looks neat and smells wonderful. The feel of a wood plane in my hands is very satisfying. I know which of my planes belonged to my father and which belonged to my grandfather. I have another that belonged to Susan’s grandfather. I am not a cabinet maker. Nor am I a carpenter. It is likely that I will have a temporary increase in woodworking projects now that I have some time, but I’ll never be a person whose living is dependent upon tools like wood planes. A production carpenter these days needs to use lasers and CNC machines and all kinds of modern precision tools. I don’t know if there will be anyone in future generations who has any need or desire to own a wood plane. But I have a whole portion of a tool chest with wood planes. The tool chest is a wooden one that I made by hand. Just looking at it makes me want to help my grandson build his own toolbox.

Developmental psychologists assure us that every stage of living has its own tasks. Retirement brings with it a need to look back and evaluate, appreciate and integrate the memories and activities of a lifetime. Those who fail in this task can experience despair at the end of their lives. Just as there are essential learning tasks for every stage of development, end of life tasks are important to being able to function in society and having a sense of well being.

As we talked about our process of sorting, my sister and I both appreciated the meaning of the task. Finding just the right home for a particular item is very satisfying. Knowing that something that we have kept for a long time has value and meaning for another person is deeply meaningful. As we prepared for our move, the times when we could deliver items directly to someone and see their joy at getting an item were much more meaningful than the days we took boxes to a donation center and dropped them into a bin. Both actions were necessary. We need to be able to engage others in the process of redistribution. I’m grateful for the rescue mission and Good Will for their operation of thrift stores and their role in helping us recycle items rather than having them go to a landfill. But there is far more pleasure in finding just the right person for a particular item. Just like acquiring books one at a time is more fun that getting a whole box all at once, giving them away on at a time is more fun than packing up the boxes and delivering them to a warehouse or other storage point. Libraries make a quick sort of items that they won’t be keeping. A few can be sold for funds to make new acquisitions for the library. Many used books are sold by the pound and discarded in large quantities. I had to do both actions with my personal library, though I donated books to the AAUW book sale rather than selling them by the pound.

Still, after all of the sorting of 2020, I’ve got more to do. I suspect that sorting will be a part of every year for the rest of my life. It isn’t as terrible a chore as some might imagine. It can be fun and meaningful.

Who knows? I might run into someone who needs a particular size of wood plane. I might bring a smile to the face of an old friend by sending a photo as an attachment in an email. I might rediscover a memory that adds meaning to my life.