The sentimental value of a pulley

This small pulley has been with our family for over 30 years. Same pulley we used years back to hold piñatas for our kids, the one we use today at our grandkids Birthday parties.

We used to have it tied to a branch of a huge mango tree we had in our backyard in Venezuela. One weekend, piñata in hand, ready to receive our guests, panic takes over: the pulley was missing. What to do? We can't throw the twine directly over the branch! It won't slide smoothly and it would hurt the tree. As we looked up, puzzled and wondering how the pulley could have disappeared, we realized that the tree branch had grown quite a bit since the last Birthday and our pulley was way up there, above the roof of the house. It wasn't hard to retrieve and moved to a lower branch, just as the first guest rang the doorbell.

This pulley has held many piñatas over the years, each one representing a very special day for a very special person. Hard to believe, but this little, simple gadget is of sentimental value to me. It has helped create and continues to create very fun memories.