Almost as bad and scary as a junk drawer, or maybe worse...

   Several years ago I wrote a blog about 'junk drawers', places we have in our homes where we put stuff, things we don't use any more but also don't want to throw away for whatever reason. Often my reason for not throwing something away is very simple. Who knows when I may need an extra 'this' or a 'red or blue that'. And over the years, as in my case, the draw fills up and every once and a while, say 8-10 years, it's time to clean it out and start again.

   In recently had a 'junk drawer' experience, but with a bit of a twist. Actually it was a somewhat scary twist because I didn't know what I might find or in this case, what someone else might find.

   A few weeks ago I bought a new car. More correct, a newer car. It was in good condition, low mileage, a nice color and appeared to be well maintained. I usually don't buy brand new cars any more. The depreciation one suffers after driving out of the showroom can be a bear. I'll let someone else take the hit.

   To make a long story short, I didn't have the opportunity to clean out all the storage areas of the car I was trading in, so... one of the service people at the auto dealer said he would do it for me.

   Jokingly I said to him...”If you find that $100 bill I dropped under the seat, I'll split it with you.” He laughed. I laughed. And then... fear gripped my body. What would he find tuck away in all those little storage compartment, the glove box, the consoles between the seats, under the seats, in the trunk and oh yes, those catch all areas on each of the doors.   Did you know there are four of those? Lots of space.

   Now don't get me wrong. I usually try to keep my vehicles clean, both inside and out. You won't find coffee cups or soda cans rolling around the floor. I have one of those little trash containers on the floor to collect the Dunkin Donuts napkins and bags. But, like the 'junk drawer' at home, things sometimes will find their way into the console along with the extra CD’s or the glove box or stuffed in the corner of the trunk.

   But what was really scary in this case was that someone else was going to clean out the car, a car that contained “my stuff.” What would he think. Those items in the car, were they a reflection of the type of person I was, how neat or messy I was? Was there anything really important tucked away in the glove box or under the seat?

   (For those reading this who do not know what a glove box is, it's a storage compartment traditionally in the dashboard on the passenger side. I can actually remember my grandmother putting her gloves in the glove box before leaving the garage. She always carried a pair of white gloves with her. Yes. A different time and different generation.)

   Yesterday Chris finally called from the car dealership. He had finished cleaning out the car and I could come over to pick up the two boxes of items I had left in the car. Two boxes.? That much?

   Needless to say, I did not delay and rushed right over, if for no other reason than curiosity. What had he actually found?

   There was the car registration, the insurance card, the E Z Pass, a pretty significant number of CD's, 6 very stale granola bars, all kinds of chewing gum, several key chains, and several of those small packages of tissues, most opened and half used.

   There were probably a dozen or so pens and pencils, a couple dozen business cards, pads of paper, three travel blankets, the pet seat cover for the back seat for Lucky, two ice scrappers, and several umbrellas. I think you get the picture.

   There was about $4 dollars worth of change. But much to Chris' disappointment, no $100 dollar bill!

   There were no year old sandwiches or half eaten hamburgers, moldy cupcakes, beer cans, bloody shirts or weapon. Bloody shirts? Weapons? Yes. According to Chris, I might be surprised by what people leave in their trade-ins. Knives appear to the weapon of choice.

   As I began sorting through the boxes, for reassurance Chris told me the things in my car were pretty normal. Thank goodness. In this case, normal is OK with me.

   With two full boxes and a couple of blankets, should I have car trouble in the middle of winter, it was a good time to start fresh, so with the exception of the CD's, some of the chewing gum, a flash light, a few pens and the one umbrella that worked, the rest of the items got tossed in the trash can. How many half opened packages of Kleenex does one really need.

   But before I left the car dealership, Chris reminded me that in my new car there was additional storage space under the rear cargo area, just in case I needed some extra room.    He laughed. I said “thanks” and off I went to enjoy my new ride.

Now I am sure it was my imagination, but the car seemed lighter than the other one. But then again why wouldn't it. I had just cleaned out all the “junk drawers.”

                                                    ***************

Addendum…..I wrote this several years ago. But full and far disclosure now. I recently just purchased a brand new car. Yes, a new car with less than 200 miles. I did not trade in an older car. I sold the old  one at the end of my driveway. The person that purchased it stopped by a day or two later with two bags, bags of things she had discovered in the car in the glove compartment and the the other storage areas.

“There is no use in crying over spilled milk.”

   The young boy has just spilled his can of soda on the floor and like many his age, he began to cry. His mother tried to console him by saying...”There's no use in crying over spilled milk.”

   “But is wasn't milk, Mom,” he sobbed . “It was soda!”

   Many of life's little lesson are taught through the use of idioms, brief statements, often with distant historical background and meaning. While most languages are rich with idioms, the English language seems to have more than its share, perhaps because many English words lack the color, richness and romance of words found in other languages. I have heard that there are at least 100 different ways to say “I love you” in Italian, but in English...

   Idioms often come from strange and unusual sources, the Bible, ancient fairy tales, folklore, different regions of a country or the world and are influenced by the local culture and tradition. The southern part of the United States has some real 'classics.'

   Many of the present day idioms date back hundreds and even thousands of years, and while experts may not always agree on who, where or when, what they do seem to agree upon is that the 'saying' can often be confusing when it comes to their intended meaning and significance and their 21^st century use.

   For example, “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears!” This expression is said to come from one of Shakespeare’s plays. Now I am sure that someone was not going to lend an ear as you might lend your neighbor a hammer, but over the years, the saying and expression caught on and is often used by many of today's political leaders... 'to get the public's attention!” Well, that may be pushing a point.

   When I asked a friend how he were feeling, he replied that he had recently “been under the weather' but was now feeling a bit better. With the weather being what it has been this winter, being under it may or may not be a bad thing if it meant avoiding it, but I suspect that was not the original intent. Believe it or not, the “under the weather” expression dates back to the early 1800's and is attributed to people becoming sea sick while sailing in stormy weather on the Mississippi River. Who knew?

   Often, after working on a project for a long time and not seeing success, I have felt like 'throwing in the towel.' Would you believe the origin of 'towel throwing' dates back to the early 1800's and boxing rings in Great Britain? I give up! Some of these idioms come from very unique places.

   Getting the facts about an issue is important. Getting the correct facts and truth is even more important. If you want to make sure that what you are being told is true, you might want to “get it directly from the horse's mouth,” especially if, for example, you are in the process of signing up for something important, like the new healthcare plan.

   So you are buying a horse and want to know its real age. Horse traders know to check the size and shape of the teeth to determine the horse's age...thus the notion of 'straight from the horse's mouth'. And purchasing health care? Try getting the facts about the new healthcare plans directly from a 'horse's …...'.

   Justin Bieber has been in the news a great deal lately. I am not sure how much talent he has or who may be advising him regarding an appropriate life style, but being a 'young man' with money to burn and a great deal of notoriety right now, he certainly is 'sowing his wild oats', wasting his time and money on reckless activities and life styles. My guess is that 'sowing wild oats' has been around a long time and a tradition with young men...as its origin dates back as early as 190 B.C. in Greece and Rome. Oh those young and foolish hooligans. When will they never learn?

   There are many idioms with origins coming from the Bible. “Seeing eye to eye” has several Biblical references, implying that different people, looking at the same thing may or may not have the same view or be in similar agreement.

   Putting your best foot forward to make a positive impression, putting your foot down to make a point, or being willing to support what you believe by putting your money where your mouth is have all become part of what makes our language rich in meaning and yet so confusing to those not familiar with it. Can you imagine the image of a person with ten $20. bills stuck in his or her mouth! And a number of idioms make reference to body parts? Why is that

   Without 'going too far out on a limb', idioms have become part of the way we communicate our thoughts and ideas, even if the original meaning of the words has changed over the years. It will be interesting to look back 50 years from now and see what new idioms we may have added to the list. Let's “stick it to them.”

The Value of A Handshake

              The recent outbreak of the flu has caused us to change our behavior. We are being discouraged from shaking hands for fear of spreading the illness. And if we do shake hands, the use of a hand sanitizer is strongly encouraged. This comes at a time of the year when shaking hands is part of the ritual at graduations and other events across the country. We watch as the world leaders and dignitaries shake hands to illustrate peace and good will among their nations. How many international conflicts have ended on the power of a handshake?

          But perhaps shaking hands is losing some of its true meaning. A handshake used to be as solid as a man or woman’s word. I remember moving to Maine and purchasing our first home. It was a private sale with no real estate agent involved. At the conclusion of the discussion my wife and I offered to have an attorney draw up a sales agreement. Being from away, that’s the way things were done.  The owner seemed somewhat offended by our offer and suggested we ‘shake on it’, our handshake being as binding as any piece of paper. “That’s the way my grandfather and father had done things and if it was good enough for them, it was good enough for me”, he said.  My handshake as strong as my word. What a novel concept.

          Shortly after purchasing the home, we began looking for a vehicle, something that would be more efficient in the Maine winter. We found one and much to our surprise the transaction was very similar to that of purchasing the home. With a simple handshake, the deal was done. No paperwork, just our word that we would return shortly with the money and the car would be ready to go.

          When you stop to think about the handshake, there are actually two parts to it. The first is the physical contact of grasping the hand. But the second part is the eye contact. The handshake has little or no meaning without the eye contact. We have often heard the expression that the eyes are the window to the soul. How many times have we shaken a person’s hand and looked to the ground or up the sky. The eyes often serve as a true reflection of the sincerity of the handshake and without the eye contact one might question the honesty of it at all.

          I know that over the years I have been part of hundreds of handshakes but probably none more important than the one involving the purchase of the home. It was my first real welcome to Maine and a lesson to a different way of doing business. The flu will pass and we will soon be able to return to the time honored tradition of shaking hands with less fear of spreading the illness, because if we don’t, perhaps we will be spreading a totally new kind of disease.