I looked up from my comfortable chair and cup of coffee. My first thoughts were of the dust I could see on the beams, air ducts, pipes, and wiring. It was not much, yet it triggered a conversation within my mind about the “stuff” I have on shelves and in bookcases that is gathering dust. Some say I have long forgotten what is there. I know when I see each piece, it triggers a memory. A second wave of lesson observations has lingered into today’s early dawn.
Objects that gather dust may not appear to serve a purpose, even as they fill an essential role. The ducts carry essential cold fresh air for distribution, their purpose undeterred by the dust clinging to the surface. Records can be crucial artifacts when we must account for expenditures and activities. There will be a time to move forward without them; the question is when. As I consider the day ahead, I wonder what I am carrying that is metaphorically coated in dust.
Objects that gather dust may be reminders. Remembering one’s lessons, learning from the past, and connections to a prior life can motivate one to continue toward a better future. A writer notes that Divinity followed this approach; “By coming up with a new plan, a new covenant between God and his people, God put the old plan on the shelf. And there it stays, gathering dust.” (Hebrews 8.13). She could have purged the old. Instead, it remained on the shelf as a reminder.
Objects that gather dust can point us to hope. Every few months, I know I need to dust the frame of an elephant sketch on the wall above my turntable. I doubt anyone else pays much attention, yet it is a personal memory that always brings hope to my day. I appreciate the need to remove clutter and items that have no connection. There is a dance one must embrace that brings hope to life, courage to the room, and a willingness to put one’s self out on the floor with action and care.
