The Value of Old Maps
Posted on August 29, 2008 - Filed Under Technology
When you live with a pack rat, things can get a bit tricky. Over the years I’ve learned to pick my battles wisely. I put up with boxes and tubs full of computer and television cables because the payoff is that our computers are always running perfectly and we have amazing picture and sound on our hi-def TV. I even put up with the crates full of vinyl records, because they are neatly stacked and indexed and it can be fun to listen to my favorite albums from high school when I’m feeling nostalgic.
However, the stacks of papers that inhabit my house periodically get out of control and I have to put my foot down. Aside from being a fire and pest hazard, they are just useless. When will we ever need a 1994 calendar again? Or stacks of old magazines that weren’t read when they arrived, let alone five years later?
This weekend, I decided to deal with the map problem. While I understand that we may, in fact, need a road atlas for our next trip and it’s good to have a few reference maps around, I don’t understand the need for twenty-five different Florida maps. Especially given that we’ve never been to Florida! I didn’t even bother to count the number of US maps I found shoved in various drawers and files. I just put my foot down and said, “You can keep two maps per state or country – the rest go in the recycle bin.” AND I made sure that the ones that stayed were organized and put away in a file drawer. Maybe next month I’ll tackle the greeting card problem.