This is stuff. Stuff on its way to a local thrift store which is likely where I bought most of it in the first place. Stuff that either did not work for what I had planned (which includes buying for others but having them tell me if it does not suit) or stuff that has been replaced by nicer same thing stuff or stuff of which I have grown tired or stuff I thought I would use but haven’t or stuff that is a burden for whatever reason(s).
Things can become stuff. Things are not a burden. Things are those possessions we use and love and ‘see’.
It is getting harder and harder to get rid of stuff as we realize we have more and more stuff. Thrift stores now accept or refuse items as they are donated and have made leaving things outside of business hours a criminal offense. Charitable organizations are paying big bucks to get rid of the junk dumped on them.
Getting Rid of Stuff suggests solutions: enjoy the stuff. Feeling guilty about having stuff makes us cling to it or store it (we still know it’s there). Deciding to enjoy the stuff puts it into a different perspective and allows the awareness that if we are not enjoying it, what is the point of keeping it.
GROS says there is a comfort level around stuff which seems to vary from individual to individual but is a fact in everyone. The barometer is if it makes us feel good – it’s a thing. If we don’t feel good about it – it’s likely stuff.
Having once gotten rid of most of my possessions (the cost of shipping items across a continent is a great motivator in deciding just what to take – the experience was invaluable!) and acquiring new things when I moved to the west coast I realized how liberating that was, how refreshing to assess a situation and suit things to it. The adventure has been repeated a few times over the last twenty years without needing to move across country; it has become part of the lifestyle.
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2 responses to “Getting Rid of Stuff”
Where do we get all the “stuff” from? We have some great Freecycle groups in our area and each week my aim is to give away 3 pieces of “stuff” that has accumulated over the 22 years living in this house. Right now I’m giving away all sorts of extra plants from the garden.
I don’t think plants are ever “stuff” – they are just an abundance of “things” and overflow into the spaces of fellow gardeners. Most of my garden consists of “Muriel’s violets” and “Barb’s sarcococca” and “Mrs. Harding’s southernwood” etc. I like to think that I also occupy other gardens thusly. I wonder what kind of plants are traveling out from your garden.