Nambe

Day 58: Nambe Dish

All wrapped up and ready
for a better home

My sister has a passion for stuff. Her stuff is carefully selected, well-maintained, exquisitely arranged and meticulously organized. She and I can buy the same pair of shoes at the same store on the same day. Within a month, my shoes are down-at-the heels and the foxing is separated from the sole. Two years later, she'll hand hers down to me in pristine condition. If I had her stuff, my house would be a cyclone of dust and disarray. The same stuff in her house is warm, peaceful, useful and artistic.

Part of my motivation with the stuff challenge was to bring myself back to the clearer, quieter place of a clean and clutter-free home. I've struck a chord, or perhaps I've joined a symphony. Many of my friends have joined me in giving away one thing each day for a year. The internet, libraries and magazine-racks are full of articles about decluttering and simplifying. I keep hearing about the age of mass-consumerism, the glut of stuff and the physical, mental and moral benefits of simplifying.

But Elizabeth will tell you: stuff is a good thing. A hundred years ago, stuff was treasured, cared for, uplifted, valued. Why do we all want to get rid of ours?

I think stuff is like food. Good food, carefully prepared and thoughtfully consumed, is good for body and soul. Junk food adds pounds and makes you feel like crap.

As wedding gifts, my sister and I each received a Nambe dish from friends of our parents. Mine is hidden away. I hardly use it; even so, it's a bit stained. Elizabeth, on the other hand, now has a valued, much-used and flawless collection of Nambe.

Yesterday I gave Elizabeth my Nambe for her birthday. It deserves a better home.