This headline (above) in the New York Times caught my attention (and maybe my subject line caught your attention, too.)
My first thought was it meant, “Don’t stew over things.” “Don’t overthink.” Both, I admit, are occupational hazards in my 17 years at Personal Money Manager™ as a financial organizer / daily money manager. After all, my job is to solve problems–primarily financial organizing ones for my older adult clients. And sometimes it requires research, digging in different directions, and considering all possible next steps.
Over the years, we’ve tackled everything from tax strategies and file organizing to internet overcharges and mom’s next move. Sometimes solutions come quickly. Other times, it’s hours or days later, after they’ve been “pickling” in my brain. So, with clients counting on me for well-thought-out solutions, isn’t pickling a good thing?
Reading on, I learned that “Don’t pickle things” meant, to the writer, something completely different from what I assumed. At least it did to the elder who contributed this advice to “The Best Advice You’ve Ever Received” in the article by David Pogue.
So, what’s this “pickle” he had in mind? It’s keeping your good china safely tucked away or maybe the special bottle of wine moldering in the cupboard. (Sound familiar?) His message: Take these things out of the “pickle jar” and enjoy them TODAY—before it is too late.
Learning from clients, all of whom have lived long and rich lives before I met them is an unexpected bonus of working with older adults. After all, our typical sessions together are full of my wise words for them such as: Keep an easy-to-read check register. Don’t throw out mail until you’re sure that it’s junk. For safety’s sake, shredding papers is preferable to tossing them.
When not knee deep in client paperwork, I enjoy being immersed in fabric and quilts. I get to do this and give back to the community with other “blanketeers” at my local Project Linus group. There, I recently learned the sad news that our local leader had just passed away. Spread on the table was a huge collection of her fabrics and yarn. Some items were complete with original tags and store receipts; some works in process.
It made me think of the advice about “pickling,” or rather “not pickling.”
Ruthie didn’t have the satisfaction of turning this part of her “stash” into comfort blankets–the focus of Project Linus. That next step—with the fabric and thread and yarn she left behind–is now, literally, in our hands. While not her original plan, I trust it is comforting to her family that Ruthie’s abundant quilt and knitting collection will come out of the “pickle jar” and be put to good use.
Are there treasured items you are “pickling” that you could instead enjoy today? Are there words of wisdom clients shared with you that have rung true and positively impacted your life as a trusted advisor?
(Hankering for some pickles? They’re easy to make! Here’s my go-to recipe.)
Copyright 2025 by Karen R. Caccavo, all rights reserved
Photo ID: 10952231