A few weeks ago, Amazon held one of its Prime Shopping days. People filled their computers with great deals on ‘stuff’ and boxes rushed across the country. New treasures for our homes, our lives.
At the same time my local thrift store had a 50% off sale of anything in store. That means clothes, furniture, dishes…anything. A treasure trove of stuff. Some very nice, some more than acceptable.
In the past few months I’ve added to the local thrift store’s stock with ‘stuff’ that has been stacked in my house to be used ‘one day’.
My friend arrived from California, with a POD full of stuff, after leaving a mountain of ‘stuff’ behind.
Signs on the side of the road, notices in the local papers for yard sales, estate sales, group sales. Of stuff.
Stuff.
Stuff.
Stuff.
We throw away more than people in less fortunate countries own in a lifetime and we are still choking on possessions. It’s not a new phenomenon…when our ancestors inched across the country, they brought along as much of their possessions as they could stuff in those large wagons, often leaving them along the way to lighten their load, choosing survival over possession.
Most of us know we are overloaded with stuff. Even so, we all too often go on a search for more…more…MORE. Just one more painting, one more pair of shoes, one more kitchen gadget that we are sure will make our lives easier (if only!). Our economy is based on consumption. Buy more stuff, keep the economy healthy. But is it better for us?
Most medical professionals say more ‘stuff’ does not make us happier and can often negatively effect our health. I have to say I agree, especially at those time when I feel like I’m drowning in stuff. Who needs that many black totes?
I’ve been researching the problem, trying to decide what should go, what should stay. What do I really NEED in my life? My friends, absolutely. My animals, yes. All those black totes…not really. Nor the red ones, the brown ones, the green ones. Sigh.
Organized people point out if there was a fire most of this stuff would be gone anyway. Well, duh. Do I want a fire to come along and eliminate everything? Not even, since items of value are in boxes set aside to be ‘gone through’ — several years ago. So slowly, slowly, slowly I sort. I took pictures I won’t share since I don’t need to depress myself any more! Yes, being surrounded by stuff can be depressing. Every box to the thrift store, every extra sack into the garbage lightens me a bit more.
Instead here’s a cool picture of a sunrise. Great beginnings. 
Call your family, hug your friends. The only time certain in our lives is now.
Mona Karel Author 
Great post, Mona. I cleaned out a bunch of “stuff” a couple of years ago, and now when I look around, I realize I’ve managed to replace the old stuff with a bunch of new stuff. So many people in the world have NOTHING, and we’re drowning in stuff. I need my family and my friends and my dogs. I don’t need a whole lot of the stuff I live with.
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I do so agree. I’m finding that when I go to the supermarket. Aisles and aisles of stuff. Your choice from a hundred varieties of fizzy drinks, confectionery, crisps – be it corn, potato or something else – disposable daipers (nappies), plastic containers to store ‘stuff’ in. And all packed in plastic setined for land fill or the ocean. So it’s not just the ‘stuff’ we hoard in our homes – and I do. We’ve got four TVs for two people and we can’t sell the ones we don’t want – can’t even give them to the thrift shops because they’re electrical and they have to be checked by an electricin before they can go to people in need. I dunno. I think globalism and the whole capitalism system is starting to smell very bad.
I’ll shut up now.
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