Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Sensitive Geek MAN: Re-Purposing

I do this sort of 'Recycling' where I keep things I think I can use again. For Example, we recently pulled down a shed in our back yard that was shoddily made by (we assume) the previous owner. I threw a much of it away, as it was not really re-usable; but I kept any wood, screws, nails, siding, etc. that was still in fairly working order. I put them in jars or up in the garage so that I can use them for projects later.

I am pretty sure this practice drives my wife insane, at least with the big things, like wood. Mostly because I can't always explain well why I want to keep it and it takes up room. The reason i can't explain it is because I only have an idea of how to use this stuff again, not a specific plan. With screws, that's not a big deal, but when you are keeping 12x5 sheets of particle board and plywood, it is nice to have a real plan for it. I have ideas for a garden I want to create and the new shed next spring, and I look at those pieces of wood and can just see that they can be useful. Sometimes I'm right. Sometimes I end up throwing them out a month later once I've had a real chance to think about it.

I don't argue that I need to be a little more discerning about what I choose to keep, but I think overall it isn't a bad mindset. I feel like our culture has gone way too far into the one-use/disposable mindset. We talk about how recycling is great and we should all do it, but we only do it for things that are easily recyclable, things we can just throw into a special trash can and someone takes care of for us. I also am not endorsing hoarding. There are things that should be thrown away when they have served their purpose, as well as things that should never really be purchased at all. I just think that most of us could be a bit more conscious on how things can be practically re-purposed.

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