Deconstruction

“The first rule of intelligent tinkering is to save all the pieces.” -Aldo Leopold

---

Before I say anything else… Happy New Year! I hope your holidays were grand.

How exciting to be writing my very first post in 2025.

I’m still quite busy with my downsizing, minimizing, upcycling (and so on) initiative, but I’ll be honest and say that it’s very slow going.

So far it’s more like reorganization. That’s not a bad thing, really, it’s just not the goal that I originally had in mind.

One thing that’s interesting is that I’ve found a new passion, and it may sound a little weird when I say it (what’s new, eh?). Ha-Ha!

Anyway, in sorting through some of our things, and imagining how each item could be upcycled rather than thrown away, I started something I just love…

Deconstruction.

I was going to call it disassembly at first, but I think it’s more than that. And it’s a far cry from demolition.

Deconstruction, in this case, is about breaking down an object and discovering the value of it’s parts. It’s kind of like psychology!

You really learn a lot when you break something down – piece by piece – and you realize that much more work went into making it than you ever would have imagined.

And who imagines that anyway? It’s one of those ‘world taken for granted’ things… who ponders things like that?

I think people would throw away far less than they do if they deconstructed things before tossing. BUT, that leads me to my dilemma again. I’m not hoarding objects, but I’m not letting go of their parts! It’s a cycle alright.

I’ve got boxes for buttons, for screws, wheels, frames, wooden legs…

Anyway, I’m not complaining. I’m loving this deconstruction thing, and I’m confident that each little part that I save will be put to good use this year… one way or another.

Honestly, I think it’s a form of mindfulness. Taking time to examine something you own, to better understand how it works or how it was put together… these processes help you appreciate things, which then helps to foster gratitude. That’s my take anyway.

It’s like suddenly that old outdoor chair that seemed so ratty is a gem, because each of it’s parts has value. How cool is that?! So, that’s one point for zero waste, and zero points for the minimalists.

But who’s keeping score?

---

My featured image was a blast to make. It’s just a few parts, forming an abstract representation of my latest love interest… (wink, wink).

I suppose that’s all for now. I have plenty more that I’d like to talk about, but I’ll save it for next time!

Until then…
Peace & Love! & Happy Tinkering!