Spring Cleaning- in a mood for garbage

These 2 weeks I psycho myself into doing spring cleaning on the justification that I would never have the energy once my work at the school begins (even though it is a part time job :) The amount of dust in the endless cabinets surprised me and I questioned the diligence of my maid (and YES, she has left TWO YEARS ago!) Every spring cleaning exercise reminds me of my deceased mother, not the least because I still keep some of her momentos which she bought during her tours overseas. But more so because it brings to mind very vividly the feelings and experience we had when my siblings and I were emptying my parents' flat before we rented it out.

My mother passed away rather suddenly some 9 year ago after a fall and short illness. After a few months of staying on his own with the maid, we decided that it was safer for my father to stay with my brother. Hence we had to empty the flat and rent it out. By common standards, my mother was a neat person and like most of us was plagued or blessed whichever you deem, with a dose of sentimentality. So as we emptied the wardrobes and cabinets there were quite a few unusual finds. There were those Christmas gifts which I bought her year after year since I started to earn a living. Then there were decorative pieces which I left in my room after I got married and moved on. They were tucked into boxes that filled larger cardboard cartons. We had a hard time deciding whether to throw or to keep and if so, who then amongst us was to keep. It was kind of fun when the item was clearly identifiable to the purchaser and the decision could be easily delegated. However there were lots more items with unknown origin or which were clearly bought by her. Every of such item will be held up for a consensus to keep or throw. I remembered we spent quite a few weekends doing this until people lost steam, dropped out of the game and the remaining ones made quicker decisions mainly to dispose. I have 4 siblings and my parents stayed in a 3 room flat.

Warped as it may seem whilst I am doing my own spring cleaning I just can not help but think of the exercise which my 2 children will have to go through when I depart. At best, by mathematical calculation, and if I am as neat as my mother, they would have to spend 6X the time we spent (there being 8 rooms in my present house including bedroom ,living and dining compared to my parents' 3 room flat; and the task of tidying being shared between 2 children instead of 5). Somewhat this thought instills a sense of responsibility to throw items which I do not miss or have forgotten they even existed. It also keeps my sentimentality in check.

Another memory which is quite unforgettable was this feeling of unpredictability of life. Like some of the stuff she left behind were bought just so recent and in the kind of quantity or quantum meant for a "going concern" (in corporate terms really).Things which were exclusively hers like cosmetics, accessories, toto & 4-D betting slips etc. Such things renewed pain and feeling of loss I remembered.

Gosh what a warp subject. But I must end on a happier note. My mother always mentioned in passing in Cantonese that the amount of wealth and fame a person has is destined. My mother was also a worrier. From her life experience, I have another conclusive prinicple which is, in addition to wealth and fame, the amount of worrying one has to endure is also destined. She passed away a few months just before 9/11, the Sars outbreak and also before my brother was retrenched from his banking job.