When I was a little girl, I used to love playing with my mom’s old handkerchiefs.
She kept them all in a little red purse, and when I lost interest in all other toys, my mom would get out that red purse full of hankies, and I would play with them.
Looking back, I have no clue how one would “play” with handkerchiefs. I just remember folding them repeatedly. Not sure what else I did with them. Whatever it was, it developed fond memories of those hankies.
Fast-forward a few years, and here I am, an adult who is fond of Kleenx.
But I have some issues with Kleenx.
My problem is that I have an allergy to dust. And Superstore – every time I go shopping at Superstore, my nose runs and my eyes water. But my love for Superstore is greater than the discomfort of liquid pouring out of almost every opening in my body, so I keep going back.
Anyway, this dust allergy causes me to wipe my nose about 50 million times a day. Just a swipe here and there. Not anything huge or messy, and definitely not a whole Kleenx’ worth of use. So, much like my Grade Two teacher, I’ve been keeping my Kleenx in my pocket for the next time I need a quick swipe. Except she stuffed her used Kleenx in her sleeve, which seems weirder than a pocket.
Either way, I always felt it must look a little gross for me to keep using the same Kleenx repeatedly. It’s kind of gross just writing about it.
Sorry.
So the point of all this is that I started to think about how my Kleenx dilemma needed another solution: I needed to start using handkerchiefs.Here are my reasons:
1) It’s perfectly acceptable to keep a handkerchief in your pocket, and use it repeatedly.
2) It’s also very environmentally friendly, which is a bonus.
3) It’s quite Meg Ryan – handkerchiefs always remind me of her character, Kathleen Kelly, in “You’ve Got Mail”. She used a lovely embroidered daisy hankie.
I decided I would buy myself some handkerchiefs.
And suddenly, I remembered that red purse full of hankies.
So I asked my mom if she still had them, and she did, so I became the proud slightly embarrassed owner of a vintage handkerchief collection.
They work out perfectly, but I can’t really say I’m a proud owner of handkerchiefs, because I still feel a little weird about it. I mean, who actually uses handkerchiefs anymore?
Everyone should use them, because they’re really quite fantastic. They work perfectly for what I need, and have the added bonus of making me feeling nostalgic every time I wipe my nose.
Just think – every single time I wipe my nose, I am instantly transported back to that enchanting time in life when folding hankies was a fun way to pass time.
Simple pleasures, I tell ya.
My renewed relationship with my hankies has only been going on for a few months, so I’m looking forward to seeing where this all goes. In the meantime, I’m really loving the nostalgic nose wipes, as well as the fact that a box of Kleenx now lasts FOREVER at our house.
There’s a budget tip for you. Hankies. Think of the money you’d save by not buying Kleenx…
I won’t even ask if anyone else out there loves handkerchiefs, because I’m guessing Meg and I are alone in this department. But here’s a question for you – what items bring back fond childhood memories for you?
Ordinary Days 
My somewhat old-fashioned son and my father-in-law love their plain white handkerchiefs!
Well, there you go. It’s good to hear there are other people who still see the wisdom in handkerchiefs!!
Ah, Miss Bartel and her Kleenex in the sleeve. 🙂
Funny, that you remember it, too!
Yes, I too remember playing with Mom’s little red purse full of unique handkerchiefs. I also find Dad’s red and blue polka dot ones very nostalgic and have managed to swipe a few from his collection over the years, although I have never blown my nose with them. (At what point do you consider this clutter??)
Yes, the polka dot hankies also bring back many memories!
As far as clutter goes, right now my goal is to get rid of everything I don’t use, which would still be a large portion of our belongings, and should keep me busy for awhile. As long as I’m using the hankies, it’s not clutter!
My dad and grandfather have always used hankies and still do to this day! It is not as “old-fashioned” as you may think, just a little more unique! As for getting rid of everything we don’t actually use . . . wow, have I got a long way to go. I kinda like the challenge though but I would have to do it a little at a time or I might have a melt-down because I like stuff (but I don’t like how too much stuff makes me feel – working through the battle is hard especially since I still watch the generation before me collecting “stuff” they will never use. I don’t want to be like that and have to work hard against it! I am looking forward to moving for that very reason – and dreading it all at the same time! Well, that was a rather long bracketed comment!)
Yep, moving does fantastic things for making us get rid of stuff! I guess it helps to go through everything twice – when you pack it, and when you unpack it! With five kids to pack for, I would imagine you will have many decisions to make in the near future!
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