It Is What It Is

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This old gal…

Took one last walk around Texas Town…stopped at a famous hamburger joint…supposed to have the best burgers this side of the moon…

Was waiting for the order, eating an ice cream, (because, why not?), when what to my wondering eyes should I see: a box…a puzzle box…a puzzle box from days gone by…

1980s…young me had that puzzle…a hamburger on a bun puzzle…had a cold meat sandwich one, too…put them together and they were cool…cooler than cool…

So cool that that crafty grandfather of mine created amazing wood frames for them…and new teacher-me hung them in her classroom for decoration…

Her first classroom…a trailer in the parking lot classroom…a former-office-on-a-farm trailer…dark wood paneling…baseboard heat…no water…friendly mice…and first-year-teacher-me…

Thought it was perfect…like those handmade frames were perfect…just like those puzzles were perfect…

Until they weren’t…finally got a room inside the building…the puzzles outdated…didn’t fit the theme…decided not to store them so set them by the dumpster…

They were gone before the end of the day, and one of us has regretted it ever since…

Because those frames were special…beautiful…a work of art by someone she loved…someone who was gone…

And so it is…in life…it is what it is…

Look back…enjoy the memories, but take it from one who knows: before you toss that item in the dumpster, take a photo first…just in case…
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And young-me…agrees…