I recently returned from a long trip, and while I was on the road, one of the things that struck me was how little we really need. I tend to pack lightly anyway -- ever since backpacking abroad years ago and realizing that I would have to spend hours carrying everything that I was traveling with -- so I have had many opportunities over the years to prioritize what I cannot live without, at least in the short term. And I have lost count of the number of time in my daily life when I have thought, “What if I just got rid of 90% of what I own?!” I have made a more concerted effort not to buy things (knick-knacks, home decor, souvenirs, etc.) unless I have a specific purpose for them (though I do have a weakness for art), and I have all but begged friends and family to stop buying me “stuff” for Christmas but instead make donations to charity.
Despite this, I still feel buried in “stuff.” My pleas for charitable donations have been acknowledged only halfheartedly as well-meaning individuals make a donation in addition to presenting me with more stuff. How many more trinket boxes, books, picture frames, and Christmas ornaments does a person need? I become my own worst enemy as I try to figure out what to do with the new stuff… give this unneeded set of potholders to a thrift store after Aunt Sophie spent her hard-earned money on them? Keep them, and give away my old potholders that I actually like much better? Or worse, when the old potholders are usable but ratty and the charity probably does not want them -- let them rot in a landfill for eternity? General sentimental attachments and packrat tendencies (I might need / find a use for this later!) don’t help me either. Also not helpful is the fact that I don’t need to clear things out for the space, don’t need to sell the stuff for the money, and am not moving in the near future. No pressing incentive to downsize.
So when I returned home from my trip and had to unpack, putting away all of my own stuff as well as finding places for the things people gave me along the way, I wondered again what it would be like to just get rid of it all. Unload the “stuff,” sell the house, buy an RV (inspired by all of the RV living I observed on my road trip), and live on the open road with the bare minimum of what we need. In reality, that is probably too drastic a move for me to make suddenly, but maybe I could ease myself into that kind of life over time. Now where to start?
[As a side note, this further reinforces how much it would drive me crazy to have children. They come with far too many accessories!]
I have come to the same conclusion. I am focused on lightening my possessions and more conscious of what it is I really need. I too feel overwhelmed by stuff. My mother recently passed so I have her stuff as well. It certainly reminds us that in the end we leave those possessions behind.
ReplyDeleteFunny, but DH and I realized that we don't have any more room for "stuff" in our place, and like you we specifically requested no more trinkets, etc. as presents. If people really wanted to get us something, they should get us gift cards. Some people did...but when DH told his mom this, she asked why we don't get rid of the stuff that we have. Um, because we like the stuff we have, maybe? We just don't need more - and if we were to choose to have more stuff, it wouldn't be as presents from people because sometimes that stuff is just tacky!
ReplyDeleteAgreed. I have made a resolution this year to declutter...I just wish I had more time.
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