An Ode to Junque

Everyone has junk. And we all seem to have junque as well.

What is the difference between junk and junque you ask?

Junque: Seemingly useless or out-of-date items with a certain je ne sais quoi.

Junk: trash or debris: the remains of something that has been destroyed or broken up

It's amazing what one accumulates in a lifetime -- both junk and junque. How do we learn to tell the difference? One woman's junk is another woman's junque! Growing up, my mother always had a junk drawer. Her version of a junk drawer was stuff that didn't fall into any other category and usually included a small hammer, stapler, tape, miscellaneous nails, the odd outlet adapter-- well, you get the picture. By the way, my junk drawer is pretty much the same. However, I have two of them: one of my own junque! and one that the rest of the family can browse through!

I came to this topic because today I spent helping my son separate junk from junque before packing for another move. Yes, I know, he's too old for me to be helping that way! But the last time we moved, he waited til the last minute to pack, and I am CERTAIN we moved more than one box of just JUNK! (in fact, I think we ended up moving two bags of garbage!!) One of the things we came across was an old Sony Walkman, from the 80s. And while it still worked, lets be realistic, will we ever use it again?? (Off to Goodwill it goes!)

One of the hardest things is to separate the junk from the junque. I've learned to ask myself three questions when it comes to parting with things. Have I used this in the last 12 months? Do I see a need for it in the next 6 months? Does it have any important memory attached to it? When it comes to the memory part, that pile tends to grow more than any others, and I may have to sort through some of that stuff twice, just to be certain.

Having junque isn't such a bad thing; sometimes its a little doo-dad that brings back a flood of memories that we want to hold on to. Take my son's Harley Davidson boots. He wore those for years it seems. They're shot, but he hates parting with them. So I suggested we cut the logo off the side, and we could glue that to the garage wall. Just another way to stay connected without keeping a whole pair of boots hanging around.  Don't know if it will work, or be the same, but eh, worth a shot! (be gone, smelly boots!!)

No matter whether you have junk or junque (or both like me!), its good to know the difference and to be strong enough to rid yourself of the junk. Whether voluntary simplicity is the foundation of your life, or a concept you're just beginning to make a stand with, it all starts with your junk, errrr, junque! 

HUGS to everyone!