Writings in the Sand

Trash Day

It's Monday, my back to blogging day. It's also our trash collection day. Trash day is a day of great joy, a day when we are relieved of those things which we have discarded,those things we need to rid ourselves of so that we can travel on into a bright, clean future and those smelly half-eaten containers of food from the fridge that have grown fur. Such freedom.

I also knew immediately upon seeing the calendar that it is George Washington's birthday (and not because the calendar told me so). I attribute my instant recognition of the date's significance to a very good primary education, wanting to thank especially my second grade teacher who instilled so much important information into so many tiny heads through the years. History, penmanship and long division, we got it all.

It occurs to me that it is amazing to be remembered. Most of us only exist for as long as there are people alive who remember us. In most cases, we are forgotten within three generations. But command the army that wins a revolution and change history and you are never forgotten, even if no one really knows much about you other than your name.

Mrs. Mahoney! That was the name of my second grade teacher... I think. It might have been Maloney. She is someone I would wish to thank for the incredible things she taught me, the solid foundation she laid. Many other teachers were great disappointments, but Mrs. Mahoney played the piano! Memory is a funny thing.

Trash day - forget about some things and remember others day. Choose what to keep and what to discard day. Time to sift memories and let nostalgia bring back those that are warm to live in, throw out the memories of pain and disappointment. It's trash day, time to shake out the dust.