Cleaning and Clearing Clutter Continues
This past Monday morning, work on the office relocation resumed, but not without reward! I came across a small plastic bag full of business cards from my days of frequent networking events years ago and thought there may be some I might want to keep, just to add into my current contact list. I almost just threw the bag away and figured anyone I want to get ahold of I could surely find...but no, perhaps not.
A Small Bag with a Lot to Say
In that bag was an envelope, business card size, a gift card envelope with handwritten "Merry Christmas $20," inside a card for Chili's 🌶️! I remember my dad's girlfriend of 14 years after my mother had passed, would give these out at family parties. My Dad had passed in September of 2019, so it's at least 8 years old! At least! I believe that the last Christmas we were all together and any gifting was done was pre-2015 when he moved to the State Veterans' Home in Floresville, so more likely 11+ years old.
I called the number and the balance on the card is now...$20! But the real treat was not finding $20. It was the few minutes of remembering all the joy and family time together while I was "keeping an eye on him." Her family was huge, seven children of hers, their spouses or partners, children, many now adults with families.
Other Discoveries from that Bag of History
Also in that small bag, were several obviously homemade and some ordered iterations of my earlier business cards as an independent contractor for some companies and as the owner of my first small businesses. These too, took me back down memory lane, some now look comical, near pitiful, but at the time, they were I suppose average, maybe.
I am sharing them, but the point I wish to make is not about the artwork or the cards themselves, but that I have been on this entrepreneurial journey and at many times self-employed since near the onset of the 21st century, and I have always been in some field of caring about and helping others succeed.
Early Business Cards
Reverse of Above Cards
Notice the calendar in 2016, a "reason" to keep it in one's pocket for at least a while.
I Truly Almost Threw This Bag Away
The lesson for me was simple. Sometimes we rush to throw away what appears to have no value because we are focused on making progress. Yet hidden among old papers, old business cards, and old memories can be reminders of who we are, where we have been, and the experiences that prepared us for what comes next. The gift card was worth $20. The memories and perspective were worth much more.
But Do Not Get Lost in the Fog
However, it is also important that we do not lose focus on the main task at hand and disappear down multiple rabbit holes of distraction, losing hours of productive effort.
If we come across such a treasure and it will take more time than we have available—or truly deserves more attention than we can give it in the moment—label it, place it in a retrievable location, and schedule a time to revisit it after the task at hand is complete.
Sometimes the treasure is worth exploring. The key is deciding whether now is the right time.
The gift card wasn't the treasure. The treasure was the reminder of family, the evidence of growth, and the realization that while the past has value, the future still requires our attention.