I love dishes. I don't know why. I have three complete sets and another set of assorted coordinating dishes because I'm never able to refuse pretty dishes at a good price. I like them all, and most of them have their uses. At least in my reasoning they do. I have my everyday dishes; some Christmassy ones I love and use in December; and a beautiful set I could use for "good" (I'd use them more, but they aren't microwave-safe). And then there's the other set. The set I really have no use for. That I have almost outgrown. The dishes my parents gave me for a wedding gift. The ones I used every day in the first year or so of my marriage and used for occasional holidays for 30-some years after that. They bring back some nice memories.
But are memories enough to warrant keeping them? I never use them anymore. They're rather dated looking, and not really my taste anymore and they just take up room in the cabinet downstairs. I could donate them or sell them online and let someone who would like them more than I do have them. I could, and maybe I should . . . but I just can't get beyond packing them up in boxes and looking online for possible prices.
Why do I hesitate? Why do I find it so hard to give away or sell something that holds nothing for me anymore except lingering memories?
The answer to that question may lie in the reason I still have a tattered yellow teddy bear sitting on a bookcase in my bedroom.
