Stuff

I walked down to the street to the bank this morning, two days before Halloween, and came across an extraordinary display of carved pumpkins. There were dozens of them,perhaps as many as a hundred, some of them weighing several hundreds pounds. I couldn't photograph all of them together, so I chose a small grouping next to the road. It must have been a sight to behold when they arrived and were unloaded and carved. A few buckets full of pumpkin bits and some carving tools were still in evidence.

It is amazing how much stuff we have. I spent the morning going through a single set of shelves and drawers and threw out almost everything. A big bag of kids' art supplies, ribbon, boxes and paint went to the little girl next door, three big bags went into the trash, and one small box awaits the movers. The bins were emptied this morning and one is almost full again.

Why do we cling to certain things? I understand the desire to preserve memories, family records or even good recipes, but why am I so attached to the scarred and ratty chairs in the living room? Is it because many pets have left their mark on them? because they are really comfortable? because they have been in the house since we bought it? I don't know, but their are some things that go with us no matter who ratty they are.

Every city has at least one cluster of storage units--there are even television programs about people who bid on the contents of these units which have been abandoned. Why do we acquire so much stuff in the first place? What prevents us from just getting rid of it instead of filling up storage units? It must be a way to postpone the decisions that seem impossible. There are professional "organizers" who help people throw stuff away and organize what's left. Resistant as most of us are to throwing stuff away, when the decisions are made and the stuff is gone, most people admit that it "feels good".

Ironically, another thing I came across today is a book called Material World published in 1994. In it 16 photographers traveled to 30 nations around the globe to live for a week with a family. At the end of the week the photographer and the family collaborated on a portrait of the family outside their home with all their possessions. It is a fascinating book and an inspiration not just to "get rid of " stuff, but not to acquire it in the first place!

We have a friend who is a fine furniture builder and has built many lovely pieces for us. We asked him to help us figure out the best way to move some of it. It seems that in the three years since we spoke to him last, HE has acquired a wife and a daughter named Hazel! He and Hazel are coming by this afternoon.