What you leave behind..

My mother tells me often, that her Chemistry Lab Assistant in college, would frequently tell her (my mother) that her workplace in the lab was an indication of how her kitchen would look.

Coming to think of it, the condition of a place after a person has left it is a better indicator of the person than when she/he was resident there. As many mystery novelists will tell you, many criminals gain important information about you by going over what you leave behind inside the ATM room than by what you keep in your purse. Police world-over have discovered important clues from the scene of crime because the perpetrator of a crime supposedly leaves behind something about himself almost always.

Forget such grand things. I recently moved to my new space in a new office that is closer to the city than the previous one. I picked one of the deserted places and moved in. Well, partially moved in, because the draws here are still full of papers, including wedding invitations dating back to 2005 and 2003. It is possible that the junk does not entirely belong to the previous occupant, but is a legacy passed on over generations.

As a result of the junk, my belongings are still in my car although it has been more than 3 months since I moved in. I have not yet had the heart or inclination to clean up the junk or to throw away the papers, since somewhere deep inside, I am worried that these papers may mean a lot to someone else (plus I hate cleaning in general and cleaning others mess in particular!!).

Interestingly I am faced with a similar situation at home. After a short spell at a different locality with my brother and his wife, we have moved back to our old home. Our last tenant has vacated the house, on paper. But the remains of his life here stare at us from every corner of the house - from the poster of Mickey Mouse, to the rusted flower-vase on the stair-case, from the completely ignored and extremely dirty balcony (which he and his family never entered in the entire 1.5 years!!), to two boxes full of junk (to us) and a gas stove on the loft. As if these were not enough, he has also left behind the broken front portion of the car in the parking slot, where it serves as a threat to my car every day. His cupboards and study table had decorated the shared parking lot till last week.

When I first vacated a house in the US, I left behind some old furniture, simply because I did not know at that time, what to do with them. I thought I was doing a favour to the house owner - not only was I vacating his apartment, I was leaving free stuff for him !! The house-owner obviously did not think so!! As a result, my initial deposit was never returned, since moving the furniture out was considered part of the cleaning expenses.

Now, thinking about the drawer full of junk papers and the stuff we had in our house till a week back, I understand what a frustrating experience it must have been for the next occupant to find my stuff lying in the apartment. What may be memories to me, are just garbage to him! I know what I think about the tenant and the previous occupant(s) of the seat at workplace and I really do not want anyone to think the same about me!!

Entering a kitchen which resembles a town ravaged by a hurricane (yes, I have seen one!!), thanks to the previous cook, with all the jars of salt, pepper, chilli powder, the lighter, multiple plates, ladles and pans etc on the kitchen-counter turns me off completely. As a result, I strictly follow a simple rule - replace something immediately after use (it is also because I have zero trust on my memory to do it later!!).

Extending it to the workplace, a clean table gives a good impression to the others. A clean drawer is not only an indicator of an organized mind, but also shows that you are considerate. I am not known as the most organized or cleanliness conscious person in the world. But I frequently check my drawers to check the papers that I have accumulated so far and throw away most of them. This practice is more to make place for really important things than to keep the place clean. This also helps when you have to move to a different location, as you do not have to clean up the desk again, since everything is important.

So, leave behind good memories if possible. Take the other things with you or throw them in the trash before leaving. Do this as a favour and the next occupant’s blessings will be with you!