Throw-away choices?

The long weekend allowed me time to do my residential five S. Sort, sweep, Sifting through my things was like taking a journey to the past and finding out what was important to me, what was relevant, and what had to be let go.

There were letters from my grandparents, my mom, my dad, my siblings and my other friends and relatives. Some of them yellowed with time. The onion skin paper that my lola wrote on was feeble with age yet ironically outlasting my grandmother who stopped counting her age after 60. I lost her when she was 80 something. Sharp in mind but determined to go. Now her body fertilizes the earth. Good compost — and if one could absorb the strong will and resolve she had in life, maybe we could pick on the remains of those who were successful and use them to fertilize vegetables. Whew, if chromosomes could be digested huh? Gross!

As I reflect on the letters I re-read, I realize that the words there have been etched in my heart. I have learned from them. And just like what God has written in Romans 2:15 the law need not be written or prescribed on paper for it is embossed in our hearts and manifests itself in our conscience.

The growing debris in my garbage bags were classified, as prescribed but I noted how I had collected so much out of sentiment. Very Filipino indeed or shall I say human. My sentimentality revealed my schmaltziness and it was crowding me. Like the cities are smothered by the growing refuse from households and factories. Garbage is piling up and overflowing. This nudges us to take heed and be responsible for our own choices. It starts with determining what we need and what we want, and making the right choice in what we have to pick from the store and keep.

Some of us have more than just one television set. More than just one cellphone. More than just one computer. More than just one car. Or to go to the simpler items, more than just one pair of shoes, more than just seven sets of clothes, more than just a set of plates, or crockery and cutlery, and gosh! Sometimes, more that what we need to eat! Others have none.

The excesses we have reflect the wastes we make. Our having more than one television may reduce the fights for program choices but it also lessens our watching shows together. Having more than one cellphone may give us the feeling that we are accessible but it may keep the other parties waiting because we can only answer one call at a time, and give substantial attention to one person per moment. Having more than one computer may give your children the tool to do their homework, or update their facebooks or provide them an excuse to be glued to the “work” and not converse with you. So you communicate through the facebooks but don’t face each other. Having more than one car provides mobility, yes, yet sometimes it robs us of time to be together; to go places, and enjoy experiences, stories and life, with company. 

Oh, and the food. Too much get stored in the extra inches which will require more cloth for clothes, and more space to move with lesser movements (?.,!) and more visits to the doctor. 

When the television set conks out, when the cell phone battery gives up, when the computer gets outmoded, when our clothes get out of style or become too tight, they all end up in the garbage.

Our choices determine what is important to us. What wastes we make. And what risks we take.

Hopefully, like in choosing a bank, we pick one that will grow our investments and not just throw them away.