There are things you only need one of in a lifetime.

We live in a disposable society. When our printer cartridge runs dry, we may tell ourselves that we're going to re-cycle it, but it usually it ends up in the trash. So does that fan that doesn't whir anymore. And the socks with holes in them that no one wants. And all the other things that we've run through that are pretty much worn out or defective, to the point that we don't think anyone else would want them. Not even Goodwill.

So where do they go? You know where: the landfill. Shoveled into ditches/trenches with all those other unwanted things, the refuse of our throw-away lifestyle. But hey, I'm not passing judgment: I've consigned shoes with holes in the bottoms and broken vases and even lamps that didn't work (and no one will fix them, right?) to the local landfill, to be buried deep under the earth and have tons more earth poured over them. Someday, far in the future, some 22nd century archeologist may dig it all up and marvel at what we threw away, but that's not our problem. Right now, today, we just want to get rid of all this junk -- and then go out and buy another, maybe better, one!

So what can you buy that you'll probably never throw away? What can you buy one of that will likely stand the test of time?

Let's start with the basics. A potato masher. Made of steel, with a handle of wood. Only job: mashing potatoes. Not hard duty. Likely to outlast you. A metal whisk? Something to whirl around eggs in a favorite dish. Again, easy duty. Not likely to wear out. Knives? Well, they do get worn down with age, but if you have a sharpener, they can easily last a lifetime. Buy a good set and don't worry about it again.

If you're a guy in the garage, a set of tools. I mean basic tools. A hammer, a saw, a set of wrenches, a vise-grip, a drill with bits that can be sharpened. Mankind -- and/or womankind -- will always need these, as they extend our human grasp to make possible the manipulation of different materials. Nails? Keep them, in all sizes. Also screws. We're always going to need to be fastening something to something. And these things don't wear out. If you have a good stockpile of nails and screws, you're covered for whatever dire circumstances may befall you in the future. Be sure you also have a good selection of scewdrivers. Don't scrimp on these, as the cheaper ones wear out way sooner than the good ones. But once you have a good set, you're good forever.

After all, there really isn't such a thing as a new and improved screwdriver. Or hammer. Or saw.

The same for those kitchen tools: buy a potato masher or a collander or certain pots and pans, and you're pretty much all set no matter what happens. I know women who have the pots and pans their mothers used, and they still work just fine. Certain new appliances -- a blender, a fryer, a coffee bean grinder -- may need to be updated as new versions become available, but whoever came up with a new frying pan? Of course there are different coatings to make them non-stick, or copper bottoms to maintain the heat better, but can you really improve on a cast-iron frying pan? Or a cast-iron dutch oven? Come on. If you can't cook in these, then you weren't listening to your grandma when she was trying to teach you how to cook.

I do need to buy a new lawn mower every ten years or so. Maybe even a new washer or dryer.
But I don't need a new shovel or pitch fork or hoe. I may want a bigger, better TV, and that's something that does have to replaced every generation or so as the technology gets better. The same applies to my computer.

Do you see a pattern here?

What needs to be replaced every now and then has to do with technology, not with functionality.
There are tools we've used forever that still do what they were made to do. The shovel, the hoe, the pitchfork. The whisk or potato masher. I've looked at -- even bought and used -- newer versions, and, truth be told, in most cases they weren't any better than the first one I bought.

But consider a certain book I just purchased. (Being a cheapskate, probably from a remainder table or used from Amazon or my local half-price bookstore.) Should I, instead, have paid the big bucks for one of those devices that lets you download books and read them on a screen so that I can whip it out in an airport or wherever I'm stuck for a while and pass the time that way?
So far as I've been able to tell, those devices cost several hundred dollars, and each book you download costs something -- whereas my used copy of a novel that won the Pulitzer last year or the year before probably didn't cost me more than a few bucks. And the device to read it is free: my eyes and brains, working in remarkable synchronicity. And as far as carrying it with me, if it's a paperback, it's not much bigger than a pocket-size pack of Kleenex.

And guess what? I'll never have to buy another copy of that book. In fact, my shelves are full of books I only need one of.

So what else do we only need to buy one of in a lifetime?

I would say a musical instrument -- a guitar, a trombone, a clarinet, a flute. Something your son or daughter grew up learning to play. Maybe you played one yourself. Once all those sounds are digitized, and available on download or through an online synthesizer, there may not be a need for our kids to purchase the actual instrument: they may be able to learn to play online, in virtual time. But won't they miss the actual feel of hand on instrument, the sound of breath into horn? Of course they will, which is why you have to buy your son or daughter an actual instrument, and it's likely to be the only one they'll need in a lifetime. In the olden days, almost any home of sufficient means had a piano in the parlor, and that piano was never replaced by a newer model but was, in fact, passed down to subsequent generations.

One instrument in a lifetime, especially if it's a piano.

In the meantime, I think I'll only buy one wheelbarrow and one tarp to cover what I don't want seen and one copy of Homer, in an accepted translation (which I promise I'll read someday), and one set of good wine glasses or beer mugs (unless my rowdy friends break some), one good office chair, one black suit that I haven't worn yet but that is in pristine condition (complete with vest), and one set of weights that I lift religiously every day or two and that I'll never need to replace because it's all I can lift (and a set of weights is a set of weights).

What about you? What do you only need one of? Well, how about one Bible, if you're so inclined? One comprehensive dictionary: I mean, how many words do you really expect to look up in your lifetime? Maybe one photo of Martin Luther King, Jr or Mother Teresa or Jesus. One of a Kennedy (if you're liberal), one of Reagan (if you're conservative). Maybe one set of fins and snorkle equipment for when you actually make it down to the Bahamas again, or ever. One solid baseball bat. One wedding ring, possibly passed down from your mother or grandmother. One telescope strong enough to let you see the rings of Saturn. One video copy of a movie you really love and that you might want to watch again someday, when your life calms down and you have time.

There are so many things we just go through and discard, but there are fewer that we really want and need just one of. Things that last. It's particular to each of us. It's what helps define us, even to ourselves.