The Value of Old Things

[Casey Claar]

Posted by Bill Ryan (here)

Posted by Bill Ryan (here)
I'd told Casey that I thought they'd last a few more months, but now I'm hoping they might last just a few more days.



When the new Mark 3 shoes arrive, I think at the end of this coming week, (with immense thanks to Casey and one other anonymous kind member — you know who you are! ) I'll proudly showcase them and tip my (very old) hat to Mark that yes, sometimes brand new really is better.

@Casey (and the other anonymous donor! ), here they are.

(... cue ZZ Top )

Yup. This makes me happy.

How do they feel? Are they comfortable? You'll probably have to break them in. A little fun fact: I have never worn shoes ( the closed in type ), only sandals and flip flops. lol

The new shoes look good!

[Victoria]

So happy for your feet, Bill! Though, your care for your trusty old shoes, and well loved clothing, speaks to your attentive and gentle nature toward everything around you. Truthfully, if something still remains functional and sentimentally valuable, there is no reason not to extend it's life with maintenance or mending. There's something to that regarding determination, integrity, and a universal concern for valuing things and the interconnectivity of life.

Prior to seeing your request ( https://projectavalon.net/forum4/sho...=1#post1731214) in the other thread, I was going to respond to your beautiful Mara photo and Runningdeer's post, by confirming wholeheartedly that old dogs are best. ❤️

Old dogs and old friends are especially worth keeping.

...Gene Weingarten said, "But it is not until a dog gets old that his most important virtues ripen and coalesce... Old dogs are vulnerable. They show exorbitant gratitude and limitless trust. They are without artifice. They are funny in new and unexpected ways. But, above all, they seem at peace."


Both ⬆️➡️ are a very touchingly sweet read:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifes...ce=chatgpt.com

I think the same applies to old things, because objects absorb our energies...they accrue the life of their surroundings and reflect our own journeys, vulnerabilities, memories and accomplishments in a way that unlike living beings, will not die. Old things stay as long as we wish or care to preserve them, in order to anchor us to people and to places...and when given by someone we admire, they serve as a reminder immemorial, a permitted piece of that person, their warm hearted-intention or their perceptions and connection with you..the ground you walked over at just that moment, the actions taken, the laughter or tears exchanged, the flurry of emotions and thoughts which consumed you, your own heartbeats that pulsed and guided you through one specific point in time.

Sometimes, I think of the care for things as a level of practice in care for sentient beings, a contribution to the wellness of all energies and consciousness. Very much as Harmony mentioned. ❤️

Our memories stay with an object and hints of the unspoken can pass through them- symbolic testaments of the past- reflections of a no longer present existence which impacted our hearts or surroundings...a timeless bond and perpetual glimpse which one may never wish to forget.

Material things stay and continue to speak where the living cannot. At least for a while. We leave the material behind...our bodies, the earth...and some of us strive to appreciate and hold on to all which we cherished or which helped us through the lessons of our years....as though the objects might continue to impart valuable insights for the future, or to loved ones.

Shakespeare wrote in Sonnet 73:

That time of year thou mayst in me behold
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
Bare ruined choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.
In me thou see’st the twilight of such day
As after sunset fadeth in the west;
Which by and by black night doth take away,
Death’s second self, that seals up all in rest.
In me thou see’st the glowing of such fire,
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,
As the deathbed whereon it must expire,
Consumed with that which it was nourished by.
This thou perceiv’st, which makes thy love more strong,
To love that well which thou must leave ere long.

---

I would be happy to post pictures of the car from youth, given by my father, which still encapsulates all my memories from teen years to present. We are waiting on an order for keys so we can access her.

For the moment, the only photos I could find were incidentally a couple of interior shots with my much loved (now deceased) best friends- one lived to 18 (Barsky, the black APBT who was a rambunctious stray from Orlando gifted to me one Christmas by my sister as a Labrador puppy) and the other, an AmStaff who lived to 13 ( Manolo- was a severely scarred and abused, rescued bait dog from Atlanta. He was for some reason terrifying to everyone who didn't know him, maybe due to his broad, low-lumbering body or oddly shaped alligator head, but he was a true gentle giant. Some days I would find him laying in the garden sunlight simply watching butterflies flit from flower to flower.) Also in the photos, were my husband's husky, Arthur, a sheltie named Dot, and Dulce the English Setter.
🥹❤️

[petra]

Bill, nice to see your new shoes they look fabulous I hope they're not too uncomfortable breaking them in.

Here's a picture of my two rings. The innermost one I threw away during a psychotic episode but my boyfriend's dad dug it out of the garbage for me and it was there waiting for me when I got out of the hospital. So glad he saved it. I threw it away because I thought I was playing a game and I didn't want any unique identifying things on my hands. Oh my. I don't usually wear them both on the one hand, that's just for the picture.

They were my moms. I have no idea about the story of them or what they are worth but I sure as hell don't want to lose them. It's the only things I'm attached to other than my phone..

For Christmas my boyfriend is getting me a neckchain. At first it was going to be a locket but I'm scared I would lose a locket. I'd never take it off, same with my rings.

They need to be cleaned.. I know

[Bill Ryan]

Posted by Victoria (here)
So happy for your feet, Bill! Though, your care for your trusty old shoes, and well loved clothing, speaks to your attentive and gentle nature toward everything around you.

Well, I do abuse my shoes!

(Several kind people have asked about my beautiful new ones. They're like reinforced extra-strong trainers, waterproof and breathable, but they don't need to be 'broken in' like leather boots. They're straight-out-of-the-box comfortable. And the photos I took didn't properly show the color, which is dark gray, not pale at all. A light gray would quickly become dark from the mud anyway. )

Posted by Victoria (here)
...old dogs are best.

(...Mara agrees )

Posted by Victoria (here)
I would be happy to post pictures of the car from youth, given by my father, which still encapsulates all my memories from teen years to present. We are waiting on an order for keys so we can access her.

I'm looking forward to that!