By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
JAN. 2, 2024 | How often do you throw old items out? Some of us may not do it often enough.
As a nation, we save a lot of worthless items. This sometimes shows in our offices, in homes, even for towns. You often see far too much junk.
But why throw out an item just because it is old?
This came to mind the other morning when I walked the 50 feet to the street to pick up my two newspapers. Since I am cold-natured, in these near-freezing temperatures (anything under 50 degrees), I always don a still presentable, 47-year-old coat.
It still looks nice, and has no significant problems, but would some would say it comes close to junk.
Not me. It covers from my head (with a furred hood) to my hips, and is the perfect cover for these chilly mornings. I wear the coat in cooler weather when walking dogs around the block. With our recently departed dog with short legs, this dog didn’t want to go as far as around the block. Our last stop each day was to pick up the papers.
That jacket was originally purchased about 46 years ago as the warm winter coat for our son to wear to high school. You can tell it was bought ages ago, since the label in the coat says “Lord and Taylor.” That company pulled out of Atlanta in 2003, and closed all its locations in 2020.
Our son also wore that coat while in college. But eventually, it returned home…..where one morning when starting to walk the dog, it looked mighty warm to me, so I donned it. It’s been my cold-weather coat since.
And why not? It’s still presentable. Every now and then it goes through our washer, coming out fresh and clean, though with its limited use, it really doesn’t get heavily dirty.
But mainly, it works. Why in the world would I not continue to use it? Discarding something just because it’s old isn’t my way of thinking. Yeah, I recognize that I know the value of a nickel (and shudder to think what I pay for a candy bar now.)
But look at the savings I have stacked up by using this well-made and still presentable jacket each cold morning. That amounts to not buying another coat for some 40 years! Yes, when you get my age, you don’t need additional items, since you already have plenty of stuff to get you through the days. So you are more into savings, it seems, than spending.
But throw out a still-useful item like that old coat? Not me.
New year
With today’s publication, GwinnettForum begins its 23rd year of publication. We thank all the people and companies who have made it possible, which includes our underwriting supporters, our readers and our many contributors who continue to pepper us with material that many enjoy in this distinctive and original Gwinnett operation. Look for continued information about our county in the coming year. And tell others about this publication, so they, too, can be more informed about this amazing county!
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Follow Us