Did you ever take a step back and
look at the things that fill your homes?
I am afraid to do this.
Honestly. I feel that if I took
stock of the “stuff” in my house (and, I guess, my life), the posted picture of
me at the Cliffs of Moher would have the rocks replaced by “stuff” (yes, you
can substitute any word there that might be more appropriate). My basement had a flood two years ago…I still
have the piles of “stuff” with no homes and for some reason, even though I
avoid that part of the room, the mounds have continued to grow. In my case, as far as I know, there is no
tectonic plate movement in my basement. I feel like Pigpen from Peanuts…every
level in my house, the garage, the attic, and the kids rooms (their “stuff”);
“stuff” seems to follow me wherever I go.
For the three weeks in Dublin, I
lived out of a hotel room. Yes, that
would be a lifestyle I can get used to.
Walk downstairs in the morning and enjoy a breakfast buffet. Someone straightens my room for me. Fresh, clean towels provided daily. Laundry folded and delivered to the room,
whether I am there or not. All of this,
and I survived with just the needed amount of clothes, mobile devices and a
laptop. From a materialistic point of
view, all I missed was my piano. If I
wanted something that enhanced what I had or was hungry, just walk outside and
go to the supermarket nearby or to one of the stores, which were
plentiful. Life was great. So why, when I am at home, do I need all of
this “stuff”?
Some “stuff” is from different parts of my life, like:
- Cassette tapes (long gone are the 8 tracks), mostly Grateful Dead shows, which I can easily listen to online
- VHS tapes, mostly Disney and other movies we wanted to share with our girls when they were young, which I can easily watch on demand, on my computer or TV
- Books, both from school and for pleasure, mostly to fill a library room one-day (like I need a whole room for more “stuff”), which I can easily read electronically and take up no space
- Paper / bills / documents sitting in piles to be filed, mostly as a record for tax purposes, which I can easily scan and store electronically and catalog more efficiently
- “Heirlooms” from my parent’s house to pass on to Gab and Bec, which we neither use nor display and my kids probably won’t want.
Maybe I was a pirate in a past
life, because I know there has to be a treasure hidden under some of our “stuff”. The truth is, I probably do not need all of
this “stuff”. The solution? Once
the girls are off to school, Debbie and I will start the process of thinning
out our “stuff”.
How do you handle your “stuff”?
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