Bounty of Treasures by Cynthia Knisley
The auctioneer called and said he would come by next week. My stash included old chairs, boxes of ceramics and pottery, assorted artwork, yards of fabric, a nearly new basketball that the children had outgrown, Cabbage Patch dolls with their original certificates, framed mirrors …… and a few pieces of furniture. I had carefully wrapped breakable items and placed them in boxes; the garage was nearly full when my daughter pulled up with extras from their basement. “People will buy anything at an auction. You never know…” said her husband. One unusually heavy piece took me by surprise: a long burlap-covered cabinet, painted a pale yellow. The redeeming factor was a beautiful piece of marble cut exactly to fit the top. It had been found in the barn! One of the cherry Windsor chairs had a rung missing, but the wicker child’s dressing table and bench were glistening white with their fresh coat of paint. Now this may all sound like fun, a growing menagerie of used household items, each with a story of its own, but my back was aching from carrying boxes up the stairs and pushing furniture around.
More difficult was the decision-making. “Shall I send this old chair too? It was my mother’s favorite, and I can envision her relaxing here, reading or napping. How can I get rid of it?” Decisions continued at every turn, and I found it best to turn off the familiar music in the background, as it made me feel sentimental. This was business! I needed to keep the process moving along without stopping to think about memories. The day arrived, and the auction truck appeared right on time. I had decided to smile and take it all lightly as my “treasures” were crated out the door, one piece at a time. There was a moment of tears when I realized how beautiful my classic old dressing table looked, all polished up and with no clutter on top. It was simply lovely! Why had I decided to send it off? The jewelry and scarves that had been tucked into the drawers now lie in shoe boxes in a closet. How could this have made sense?