Send It To Snowy

When I was in the 4^th grade, we had a winter art project. In addition to snowflakes and pine trees, I made a snowman out of construction paper. I’ve never been great at drawing, and the snowman’s nose was nothing more than a triangle. He was a no-frills snowman, but I was proud of my creation. I named him Snowy.

He was more visitor from another world than creation. After our projects were displayed in the classroom, most of the kids threw their cutouts away. But I looked into Snowy’s twinkly eyes and knew he was coming home. He spent a few months (weeks probably) on my parents’ refrigerator, then came into my possession. I’m not sure when, but at some point it was time to say good-bye. It was probably during one of our moves from one apartment to another, and my parents wanted to minimize the detritus. I knew Snowy would understand, as it was time for him to go home. I suddenly imagined his new life at the city dump—he lived on Half-Eaten Strawberry Lane and found priceless collectibles. So it wasn’t a sad departure—he wanted to get back to his life.

As the years went by, Snowy would write to me. He loved wandering through the dump, shining up things and re-using them. He couldn’t believe the treasures people threw away. I told him about school and friends. Our letters grew sporadic—I was in high school and he had gotten married. Soon he had a daughter. They still lived on Half-Eaten Strawberry Lane, tinkering on the house with their endless supply of new materials. He thanked me for all the things I sent.

There were times when I was loathe to throw something away, something I knew I needed to let go of. Whenever I found myself struggling to do it, I would say “I’ll send it to Snowy.” Clothes I had outgrown that survived a garage sale went to Snowy. Glass bottles, dead flowers, and toys broken beyond repair went to Snowy. His daughter got married, and now Snowy’s a grandfather. And yes I still keep up with him, forty years after gluing on his triangle nose. Ironically enough, keeping him alive in my imagination helps me to let go in real life. So if you have trouble letting go of something, feel free to send it to Snowy. He’ll find a use for it.