Last weekend while in San Luis Obispo managing a paper shred event for Fidelity National Title, I left feeling nostalgic.
It was a reaction from meeting people who talked about the difficulty of shredding. They were letting go of medical records for a child or a parent, divorce papers, cancer documents, mortgage records., notes from a beloved wife who died a few years back, business contracts – all were (as one father said) “recorded moments of life.” He later expressed a need for an emotional boost to get past his “good bye” moment.
Many arrived by truck, yet one rode up on his bike; a true green cyclist.
Loved it.
One man deeply affected me. I’ll guess he was 85. Before shredding two boxes of paper he sat on a plastic box and studied each envelop, each folder, each picture. After 30 minutes he waved his hands and said, “Take it away.”
Fidelity National Title hired me to manage this paper shred and to help their community recycle and reduce identity theft.
It was a success by way of shredding nearly 8,000 pounds of paper, enabling clients and homeowners to participate, having the media cover it, and being supported by other community businesses .
Still, the greatest benefit was meeting wonderful people who shared memories and reminded us that life is about connecting and spending time with one another while we recycle the circle of life.
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8