A Garage Full of Memories

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“The world needs all the help and healing we can give it, Diane!”
Diana Whye
LMT/Life & Health Coach

One of the uniquely bizarre facts about me is this: My husband, Rene, and I have a bar in our garage.

This is not just any garage. It’s a party garage that features leftover I-Love-Me award stuff from his Air Force career, my mother’s red rocking chair from her childhood, antiques, an elliptical, sports memorabilia, a rowing machine, dart board, ping pong table, refrigerator, and a small portable bar. And yes, there’s still room for cars.

Sure, it’s weird, but the space is a fitting homage to our quirky sense of humor, a nod to our heritage, and recognition of the priority Rene and I place on physical fitness. It is, quintessentially, us.

Although some of the party garage’s contents were purchased at antique stores or vintage markets, there are meaningful stories behind some of the items that hang on the walls or are suspended from the ceiling. Below are a few of my favorites:

An original 1922 Nebraska license plate from one of my Grandpa Moravec’s vehicles that he likely drove around on the farm where my cousins, Cindy and Barb, now live. By the way, writing this post helped me realize how special this plate is, so it’s in a much safer place now.
One of the “Air Force Blues” dress shirts Rene wore during his last position before he retired in 2006 as Command Chief Master Sergeant for the 460^th Space Wing at (then) Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora, here in Colorado.
Our beloved chocolate lab’s collar and leashes. Our precious Enzo died 11 years ago and I’m still in mourning. His leashes haven’t been touched since our last walk together. And yes, I’m crying.
The antler mount from a 5X6 buck my father shot in 1967 that filled our freezer with deer meat for the winter.

A photo of “The Dancing Simards,” circa 1968. The girls were in ballet and the boys took tap dancing classes. It’s easy to see why this is my all-time favorite photo of Rene and his siblings. From left: Cindy, Paul, Catherine, and Rene.
A framed poster of a black Mercedes Benz e55. I bought myself the very same model of Mercedes in 2005 as a divorce gift to myself, and I still drive it. And yes, it’s a money pit. And no, it still hasn’t reached 100,000 miles.
The actual fireman’s helmet that my oldest brother, Randy, wore during some of the 35 or so years he has served as the Fire Chief for the all-volunteer fire department in Elba, Nebraska, which has a population of 268. He sent the helmet to me as a gift around the time I was going through cancer. What an incredibly selfless man he is. And yes, he’s still Elba’s Fire Chief. Uh-oh, I’m crying again.
My red AMF Junior tricycle. I likely circled the globe multiple times, given all the miles I pedaled on that trike. It didn’t maneuver well on Cotesfield’s gravel roads and I tipped over plenty of times while attempting to traverse garden hoses, but I took full advantage of the sidewalks around our house.

In one of my favorite scenes from the 2000 Academy award-winning film, American Beauty, Kevin Spacey’s character gets chastised by his wife, portrayed by Annette Bening, for nearly spilling beer on their $4,000 Italian silk couch. He gets angry, grabs a pillow and hits the couch with the pillow as he emphasizes every word, screaming, “It’s just a couch!” Then he calms down and says, “This isn’t life. This is just stuff.”

There is truth in his observation—at least to some degree. Some of the most precious stuff we have is on display in our garage because it helps us remember sentimental moments in our lives.

Those moments deserve a place other than in a box in the basement. Even if it is in the garage.

To everyone’s treasured memories…