This morning, I woke up with Mexican Jumping Beans on my mind. Why? I wondered if I still have the four little “beans” that I was given as a child. Held in one’s hand, they would “jump” around, and in order to contain them, I had to keep them in a little plastic box. I hope I didn’t throw them out, although that is possible.

There are three schools of thought about material possessions. In order to streamline life, and sometimes, to keep it sane, there are those who would throw away anything that is not in current use. These individuals do not look forward to a time when an item may come in handy, or to another time when perhaps some other soul might find the thing useful or meaningful. Other people save everything and barely ever toss anything useful in the garbage. Yet others, won’t even throw away a used egg carton, but I suppose that extreme saving would be considered a manifestation of obsessive/compulsive disorder.

Speaking of garbage, I recall the landfill in the town where I grew up. Saturday was the day of the week designated as “dump day.” The town paid a caretaker to oversee what was being tossed over the side of the hill to be burned later in the day.

The man was a dedicated recycler, a man before his time in the 1960s. With the thoroughness of a tax examiner, he would question what was in the bag being tossed. Not taking anyone’s word for it, he often would climb into the pit to search for himself. If he found anything “good,” he’d set it aside in a tiny shack where he hung out when it was raining.

Sometimes, I’d go with Dad to the dump, just to keep him company. We’d arrive in the “Green Hornet,” Dad’s name for his green, 1938 Dodge pickup truck that was a pip. I stopped going on this run, however, after I was consistently “gifted” with a dirty doll or broken toy that just needed this or that. You see, there was no way to dispose of these items, once accepted graciously, because if you threw them away, Howard’s feelings might be hurt, upon discovering them again. Oh, my!

Logically thinking beyond material goods has led me to another train of thought and that is to the people we discard or who reject us. There are plenty of reasons for ending relationships, and in my lifetime, I’ve called a halt to a few of them myself. What I’ve come to know is that we are all just passing through, as a song once pointed out.

People do not come into our lives by chance. I believe there is a greater plan. No matter what has happened and no matter who is no longer in my life, I have always been showered with love and attention by others who are still willing to be present and for whom, I feel that I can make a difference.

We can throw away a dirty doll, or we can discard a diamond ring (as I once did in a rage), but we can never lose the effect that someone has had just because they were once a part of our human experience. An indelible mark is left, and although a person may be physically absent, or emotionally distant and most likely lost forever, that individual has fulfilled a mission of having been there, of having been a witness to events and issues, and of affecting someone else in a profound manner.

I don’t know if I’ll ever find the Mexican Jumping Beans. I have all kinds of nooks and crannies and boxes in which to hide things on myself. I suppose I could buy some more, if I could find them to purchase. While that may be the case, it is clear that most material goods are replaceable. In contrast, I cannot replace former friends who are gone, either through death or indifference (theirs or mine).

I have to content myself with treasuring the memory of all the good friends and family members with whom I once associated. I hold them all close, in my thoughts. As the sun rises and sets, no day is the same. Each one presents yet another opportunity for love and happiness. I suppose that is the magic of life. Now off to hunt for those Mexican Jumping Beans.

Patricia Cummings

This entry was posted on Monday, December 10th, 2007 at 1:29 pm and is filed under . You can follow any responses to this entry through the feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.