Hand Me Downs

I recently began to think about my preparations for the arrival of our second daughter since the due date is only 10 weeks away. Carrying my 20 month old daughter is getting harder and harder these days as my belly is enormous and sets my sense of equilibrium at a tilt. Nevertheless, we travel down the stairs together to the basement where I've stored all of her clothes. We drag out a bag marked 0-3 month clothing and I'm feeling happy and sad all at once. Happy to see these clothes again on our second daughter, but sad that our first daughter is growing so fast.


As a collector, one of the things I love to collect are hand-me-downs. The passage of any one thing carries memories and sentimental value. As a writer, I've learned to treasure particular hand-me-downs that give my writing character:

1. Books - Whether I receive used books from family, friends, or strangers, I like imagining what their thoughts were when they read the book. If the book is full of underlines and comments, then I get the bonus of reading into someone else's mind. The additions can be distracting, but it makes the hand-me-down unique and helps me to understand how another person may interpret the passages.


2. Story Ideas - Many individuals I've encountered in my life have spoken with me about book ideas they wish were in print. I encourage them to try their hand at writing, since the topic means so much to them, but they prefer to read it rather than write it. Some of their ideas have transformed in my mind and given me new material for writing for which I am grateful.


3. Conversation snapshots - Like a camera taking a candid photo, I love capturing clips of conversations between people I hear in passing. A little like eavesdropping, but I don't pursue them to hear how the conversation ends! Instead I take the midstream hand-me-down phrase and play with it in my mind.


4. My dusty old journals - Writers can even give themselves hand-me-downs. My old diaries and journals starting back when I was in elementary school are rich in voice of a child, 'tween, and young adult. They show me rather than tell me what a person of that age was actively thinking and doing.


5. Our ancestors - My grandfather was a poet (that is how he got my grandmother to go out on a date with him!) and we have his collection of poetry in our family. Set in the 1930's and 40's, these poems help me to learn about a man I was not fortunate enough to meet; however, the passage of these poems down through our family touches my writer-self in a personal way.


6. Family history - I'm amazed at the stories that pop up out of the blue from relatives who know something about our family's past that isn't common knowledge. The hand-me-downs of family stories may turn into tall tales, but that makes them even more unique for the family and for the writer.

Inheritance of hand-me-downs, whether they are as small as a collection of buttons or as unique as a pile of stamped envelopes with letters inside or as big as a family chair from the 1800's, provides the writer with a rich pool of information that can take writing to a new level.

What are some hand-me-downs you've received or collected that have worked their way into your writing?