Little plastic bags litter the yard sale table
Lee sits beside me, happily awaiting things to sell
She informs me that she emptied one whole box of jewelry for today
But not to worry because there is a second whole box of jewelry inside
She adds that some of the compartments in the second box
Hold more than one set of earrings, then smiles and turns back to the table
Later, she’ll inform me that there’s actually a third box of jewelry
But because it’s a smaller box, it therefore doesn’t count
I ask if she thinks she has too many earrings
She tells me there is no such thing
I wonder quietly to myself
If there is no such thing as too many
Why are we selling one half to one third of her collection
The answer comes from her, unprompted
As if she was reading my mind
That there are earrings for the Fall
And earrings for the Summer
Earrings for outfits of a certain color
And for outfits of a certain cut
There are some you wear to a wedding
And others you wear to a funeral
For drinks with the girls
Or showing off for boys
She tells me there are earrings for every mood
And when asked how many moods she has
She looks me straight in the eye and says, “so many”
Lee has many earrings, each with its own story
And she has collected them over a long, rich life
She has a humble, yet profound wisdom
Like knowing some things in life, such as earrings
Are simultaneously too many and too few
That in the end, it’s not how much you have
But how you enjoy what it is that you have
And how sometimes to make room for things you want
You have to let go of things you have
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