One Man’s Junk

The expression, One man’s junk is another’s treasure, came to my mind when I visited several antique stores in Alexandria, MN this past weekend. My husband and I were killing time before my signing at Cherry Street Books. (Delightful store, by the way. If you’re ever in Alex, shop there.) The biggest antique store had four levels. It was huge. Many items triggered a trip back in time: dishes similar to my mother’s, toys, hats, vinyl record albums, etc. There was so much to look at I felt overwhelmed, and two things became abundantly clear. First, items I’d been holding on to were worth a few dollars at most. Their value is therefore merely nostalgic. Oh well. Second, we humans are producing and purchasing objects, stuff, junk in huge amounts. Most of us have much more than we need and aren’t very good about recycling and using “old” things, stuff, objects, junk. We just buy and buy and buy. In one hundred years, will there be room for people?