Stuff

It is difficult to describe how much stuff has gotten away from me over the last five or so years. Before we left Fredericksburg, we began to radically downsize in preparation for moving to Australia. Since then we have re-downsized over, and over, and over again. To give you an idea, a full forty-foot container went to Australia and a not full twenty-foot container returned (and at some point in the future, hopefully will return yet again to Oz). It is a long, emotional and very complex story and it has taken its toll. But the stuff is the least of it. It is indeed, just stuff. Even the really cool stuff, and the stuff that has emotional attachments and history is still just stuff. I can do without most of it and I am grateful.

I used to do a comedy bit about what if when you die you find out that the Egyptians were right, and you get “there” and they ask, “Where’s all your stuff?” And you’re like, “You mean I could have brought it?” And they say, “Well, yeah. All of it.” And you’re like, “Damn. Can I go back and get it?” And they’re like, “Um, no.” But we all know (most of us) that it is NOT going to be the case. Our stuff will go to our heirs, who most likely will keep a couple of things, sell some, give some away and yes, throw out a lot of it.

I see downsizing on three levels. They are:

1. Downsize like you are moving into a smaller house.

2. Downsize like you are moving into a smaller house in another hemisphere.

3. Downsize like there has been a death and you’re cleaning out the house of a distant relative.

We’ve pretty much done that number three a few times now. I don’t miss anything really. I do hate having to repurchase stuff that we found out we needed after all. But really, that is easy. The hard thing is having to let go of the sentimental stuff, as I mentioned, the stuff with a history. But I reckon I have gotten pretty good at letting go in general and I am grateful. Here is a bit of stuff that I still have with me.

That is an Australian Trumpet Shell, Syrinx aruanus this shell was Lynn's and she gave it to me after we were married. I love this shell, and yes, there is a ceramic alligator with a pig in its mouth on the right. Oh, and they're resting on my great-grandfather's roll-top desk that I have had most of my life.

A stain-glass pelican that we've had for a while. There is not a really long history with this, but it is something that I quite like and noticing it, and that I still had it, is what initially inspired this blog.

We probably have less than a fifth of the books we used to have, but books are, well, books and I need to be around books. These are but a few, there are several other bookcases in the house.

Birds. Peace. Love. Earth. Laughter. Music.