I wonder at times, if an intelligent extraterrestrial species were to spend time observing the supposedly dominant species here on Earth (I speak of humans), what odd idiosyncrasies they might notice. Perhaps it might be our propensity for dumb reality shows, or how emotional we get about sporting events. There are many. But, I think the one that might stand out the most is our propensity for acquiring and retaining stuff. I am definitely not a sluggard in the race to acquire stuff. I wish I was.
I am finding the preparation for moving to be cathartic. It's good to look at the material stuff and think about what is really needed, and discard the rest (well, I'm donating and recycling it). For one person, I've got way too much stuff. But, somehow, that stuff has become some sort of measure of our worth in this materialistic society, and we all--whether we care to admit it or not--fall into the trap at one time or another. I find myself multiplying the stuff I have by, well, let's think about the fact that the population of the United States is just over 300 million. That averages out to a lot of stuff! And, that's in just one country!
How much of that stuff do we really need? This is a question I am asking myself over and over as I decide what comes with me, and what gets given or sold away. It feels good to "lighten the load". I recommend this for anyone. I think a whole new economy could evolve from the re-purposing of all the accumulated stuff in the world. It can't help but be good for the environment too--think about the resources that go into the production of "stuff".
Well, I will end this post with a gem from the stuff I'm going through. It's a quote from a book my Dad gave me many years ago called A Father's Book of Wisdom. This book contains great quotes of wisdom and humor from the famous, and not-so-famous. From now on, I think I'll end every post in this blog with a quote from this book, as a tribute to the wonderful man who gave it to me. I'll start with a funny one: "First you forget names, then you forget faces, then you forget to pull your zipper up, then you forget to pull your zipper down." ~Leo Rosenburg
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Do you have a goal of how much stuff: a carload, a small van, a large freighter?
ReplyDeleteBasically, if it doesn't fit in the car, it isn't coming with me. I looked into the cost of renting a U-Haul and towing the car, and it was going to be around $1,600.00. Nothing I own is worth spending that kind of cash to haul it around. I will probably ship a few things, though, but not too much. I really just need to purge.
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