Things – Taking Them Up, Holding on To Them and Leaving Them Behind.

Once a quarter, or perhaps a little more, the local council in Bonn will send round the trucks to collect our inorganic waste – it is known as sperrmuell. The term inorganic waste is a little loose when you view what is placed on the pavement in readiness for pickup. Its not traditional recyclables, compost nor day to day waste – it really is just things. Things perhaps that were once exercise equipment or furniture but a missing leg or broken mechanism has rendered them useless to the time-poor folk who view DIY as a luxury. Fortunately, the opportunists in the white vans come before the trucks and no doubt repurpose, upcycle or simply sell the raw materials and leave the trucks to gather the splintered remains.

It probably sounds a little bleaker than intended but it shows our transient relationship with the things in our life. I should probably go further in my definition of the word – Things. I do not consider for one second that my wife or children are things and for now they can rest safely in the knowledge they will not know the cold, hard loneliness of the curb. However, we have things in our life that we use to pursue interests or take up hobbies or simply to make smoothies. As we transition from the majestic pretender that was 2020 to something resembling a hopeful young upstart in 2021, I have reconsidered my relationship to things.

Let us consider what the lockdown has meant for those of us trying to predict the future in some small way or at least plan how the forthcoming year may look. Travel has become a luxury and particularly international travel. There was a time when my wife and I would have international travel mapped out months in advance and in earnest was a big part of our life. For now, it remains a dream within reach and we must now weigh up the pros and cons of quarantine, vaccinations and instead of travelling when convenient – travelling when at all possible. There was a time when 10:30am meant a hot cup of coffee and not an impromptu algebra lesson for my teenager followed by a cold cup of coffee. Times have changed and so have changed our day to day activities. In spite of this, there are things to be done to redress the balance. I am looking at the things and how I can repurpose and upcycle them before deciding whether they go to the curb or the keller.

Taking Them Up – This can be seen as both trying things new and reclaiming those interests you had but somehow life got in the way. In the category of new I intend to learn some new technologies and would like to see if regular meditation makes a difference to mindfulness particularly as a daily reset that provides some form of balance. In terms of reintroduction I have been playing guitar multiple times per week slowly regaining my dexterity and enhancing this by giving my daughters lessons. The more people in this house that take an interest in music the more harmonious this indoor centric environment becomes. When it comes to the writing, well time will tell.

Holding on to Them – One of the key things in my life in the last decade has been regular exercise activities. From the moment my GP told me I had high blood pressure I instinctively adopted an exercise routine which grew in terms of number of activities, number of meters climbed and number kilometres run. It is my intention to hold onto this as it has been invaluable to body and mind but rather than stick to just running I intend to add more cycling and mat work. Although events have provided that incentive for any given training plan the lack of events has highlighted the one-dimensional nature of running to me. In 2021 it must be a more holistic consideration. In this sense I do let go of a little but hopefully gain a lot more.

Leaving Them Behind – The number of late nights I had in 2020 was far too many considering I was home bound but there was perhaps a restlessness that went hand in hand with the year that was in it. An uncertainty in professional direction was a big part of that as well as late nights perfecting information systems that could realistically wait until morning. There probably is a cycle to the things we pick up and put down and from year to year and probably an unrealistic desire to hold on to absolutely everything. But it does bring me to the trickiest question of 2021. What can you leave behind?