Bored Panda has collected some of the most impressive and unusual examples of family heirlooms ever from all around the internet. It’s proof that you don’t have to inherit a chest full of jewels and gold doubloons for something to be valuable. Scroll down to see what some families’ legacies look like. Bored Panda reached out to Jodi Wellman, MAPP, for a chat about leaving behind heirlooms and positive legacies for our heirs. She was kind enough to answer our questions and you’ll find her insights as you read on! Wellman is a speaker, author, and leadership coach, as well as the founder of ‘Four Thousand Mondays.’ “From a practical standpoint, if you’re unsure of the financial value of an item, get an expert to appraise it. For most of us, we’re more concerned with the emotional value of an item, and we need to learn to be okay that we probably won’t offend the ghosts of our ancestors if we donate their lace tablecloths,” she told Bored Panda in an email. “When in doubt, play the ‘Will I Regret This’ game with yourself; if you donate Uncle Hector’s hubcap collection, for example, will you wake up with a sinking feeling of regret? Or will you generally feel okay with yourself? If it’s not worth much, donate it or sell it and get it out of the house.” “If your apparent heirs roll their eyes, maybe you sell the tea set at a consignment store. Ask your next of kin what they’d like to hold onto for sentimental or financial reasons, and then purge what you can muster.” Wellman explained to Bored Panda that we don’t need fancy things to pass down to our heirs. “A positive legacy is a transmission of personal values; it’s how others approach their lives as a result of having gotten to experience us,” she said. For some deep dives about living life to the fullest, feel free to take a look at Wellman’s ‘Four Thousand Mondays’ website. You can also use her calculator to see how many Mondays you have left to live. It quickly helps put your goals and priorities into perspective. Another issue is that even if you loved someone very dearly, you still most likely might have to give up some of the things they left you. Unless you have a very large home or you’re blessed with plenty of storage, you couldn’t possibly accommodate every tiny little thing they were sentimental about, from furniture and photo albums to hobby knick-knacks and a hundred different dolls they collected. Some of these items might be historically valuable, and you’d like to keep them. Others might have had a deep sentimental value to their original owner that might be lost on you. But the reality is that many of the things you’ve inherited may have no real place in your home. You might not want them, or they might simply not (physically) fit at home. And holding on to hundreds of things out of guilt is no way to go through life. Some of the items you find while sorting through your loved one’s home might be worth selling or donating to charity if they’re in good enough condition. Others, inevitably, might have to be thrown away… or subtly given to your other relatives to see if they’d like them. The same goes for toys, furniture, artwork, etc.: ideally, you sort out what’s worth keeping from what you have a superficial attachment to. It really helps if you have someone you care about by your side as you’re doing some spring cleaning. Another perspective is often helpful. In this case, it’s very obvious that these items have a long and storied history that’s worth preserving. If the heirloom is slightly unusual (like a vintage toaster, quality iron waffle maker, or old-timey radio), you might need some guidance and a gentle reminder that what you have is genuinely good, even if it doesn’t glitter like gold. It might even eventually turn your pancake pan or waffle maker into veterans of a thousand brunches and highly coveted heirlooms. However, keep in mind that the items themselves have to be made of quality materials and with excellent craftsmanship to stand the test of time. Follow Bored Panda on Google News! Follow us on Flipboard.com/@boredpanda! Please use high-res photos without watermarks Ooops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.
