Goodbye, Old Friend

Seems like it was just yesterday that we met. I was young and naive, setting out on my own for the first time, anxious and eager. As I filled you with necessities, packing and repacking until everything fit just right, I never knew where the road would take us.

You saw me through 3 years of college, up and down the dormitory halls, but more often than not, overloaded for a weekend back home where quarters were not required.

You were filled with strange and new garments as you rode in that broken down U-Haul to travel across the state. Masculine hands faithfully carried you up and down the 3 flights of stairs to the dank, dark basement.

After a year you were moved once again, this time to a new state. Neither rain nor snow nor sleet nor hail kept us from trekking across parking lots to do our duty, week in and week out.

Three years later, we moved once again. The trips outdoors ended, but we did have stairs. And with another person in the house, small though he was, the piles only grew.

A year later, we made our final move: a house of our own - one level (though we must go outdoors).

Its hard to say goodbye, but unfortunately the time has come. You served me faithfully for 14 years, but it's put a toll on your strength and with 3 additional little bodies, you just can't keep up.



As you pass through the recycling center and are reborn into something new, please know that I am indebted to your faithful service to us for so many years.