I've been working on my will. The lawyer wanted to know what I wanted to happen to my personal effects.
I said "I don't really think I have any that amounts to anything. You mean like watches and stuff?"
That's what he meant. I told him I really didn't have anything and really never had. He said "You might buy a Rolex."
I do admire Rolex watches. They really do represent great human achievement in so many areas not the least of which is self-promotion. A business I once managed won a Rolex in a contest because we sold a bunch of stuff. I gave it to the salesman that was most responsible for our success. Seemed right at the time.
I took a look at my watches. I do have 2 original Pulsar watches. Pulsar was the first digital watch back in 1972. Then I have 3 Timex Ironman watches. And a Seiko. And a Mathey Tisot. My son said he wanted my Pulsars. No one has indicated much interest in the others.
I've always thought it would be nice to own a nice fountain pen. I don't own one though because I seem to lose my pens pretty regularly. Besides I don't really like fountain pens that much. I did buy some disposable fountain pens a couple of years ago. They were about $3 each. So every time I think I might want to buy a nice one I just get another disposable.
I have a walking cane collection somewhere. Maybe someone might want it. Of course I need to find it. But, now that I am living with my spouse, I couldn't just bring it in the house even if I found it.
A friend gave me a Native American artifact last Christmas. It's some kind of scraper deal. I like having it because I can imagine someone a long time past actually using it.
I couldn't find much else to list for my personal effects.
This morning after I finished exercising I looked through Dad's dresser drawer. I wondered if he had any personal effects I had overlooked. He used to have a ring but I think it broke a long time back and he never fixed it. I found a Timex watch but he didn't wear it much if any. There are some pipes but he quit smoking at least 40 years ago. I found a little pocket knife and a coin purse. There were several wallets he'd kept. I'd like to have his wings but they were no where to be seen.
My brother said that when he was doing genealogy research on our family that he discovered my great (or maybe great-great) grandfather's anvil is still owned by the family but somewhere out in Texas. I don't know if an anvil is really a personal effect though. And what would I do with an anvil if I had one?
If I get some personal effects I'm supposed to write them down and next to that the name of the person I want to receive them.
5 years ago
8 comments:
Anything you own and that is important to you to make sure someone else has is important enough to list in your will. Funny thing is, is that things my mom and dad had like old telegrams, cards, love letters, they are as priceless to me as some of their antiques. No one could pry them from my hands ever.
I never really gave much thought to personal effects of mine. I don't really have much either. Perhaps my wedding ring?
Interesting food for thought, Flinty.
Was your great grandfather a blacksmith?
When you mentioned anvil I immediately thought of the Roadrunner and Wiley Coyote. I'm thinking of the all the Acme stuff.
I have found that the things that are important to me seem to have little value to anyone else. At least in my family, the younger people all want new stuff.
My wedding ring is titanium and gold but not valuable.
Supposedly our family occupation was blacksmithing. I always wondered if the saying "on the fritz" had something to do with the family work. The ability to repair things is apparently not genetic in my case.
i don't think i have many personal things worth keeping other than my mom's (now mine) opals. as of now they will go to mark as he is the october birthday - remember i'm superstitious.
i agree, some of the little things from my parents mean more to me than the larger more expensive things.
great post terry, food for thought!
I orchestrated & held a 40 year garage sale at my Mom & Dad's House, because my Father was so distraught after my Mother left him, he was pulling pictures off the wall, and throwing them away.
I went through every cupboard, every drawer, it took about six weeks, but sounds allot like what you are all going through now. I am glad I had the oppurtunity to do it, without the added burden of grief.
They have since sold tht house, and I just unloaded the last of what I put into a 4'x 4' storage locker in California. China, Silver, Crystal, and drove it gingerly home.
I feel the same about the pictures, and love letters, graduation diplomas, and yes, even Boy Scout Cards, dated 1934 & 1938!
I put them in my safety deposit box along with the deeds to everything I own, and a disk with all those old Black & White Photos. I also got it together to finally take photos of anything valuable I have, burn them onto a disk, and also put them in my saftey deposit box, for my Insurance Company!
Gosh, I guess I am glad to have that all out of the way. There are about 50 Photo Albums however missing, or buried in that rubble, that my Mom now calls her Home!
I don't have anything valuable, but everything is personal to me. LOL There is so much junk in my house that no one else would be interested in, I told my girls to have a huge house sale when I die. The price tags are still on the bottoms of most everything. ROFL
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