Lifestyle tip

Whenever you are at a wake or funeral, you no doubt have said to one of the family members, "If there's anything I can do..." We all feel pretty helpless in such situations, but there usually isn't much you actually can do.

Well, this week there actually was something I could do for a friend in that situation. And it provided a good tip for the rest of us.

My friend Tom saved everything when it came to sports. He used to keep score of baseball games in big scorebooks, and then filed the scorebooks away when they were filled. Then there were programs, yearbooks, etc. of games he covered and teams he followed. Plus, old fantasy sports reference material and league results were kept.

This was all pretty well organized, but when Tom died, his wife was at a loss as to what might be useful and what might go into the recycle bin. It was quite a burden. So off I went to the house for a few hours, armed with some knowledge about the subject and a willingness to lug stuff around and place them in appropriate piles.

Yes, it was nice to be helpful and work off a little of the grief. But it was a reminder of a good lesson: Just because you have space in your house doesn't mean you have to fill it completely.

Have an afternoon like I had, and you'll be ready to head home and do some weeding out of your own possessions. After all, the back you save may be mine.