So….Much……STUFF!!
We have been packing and taking vanloads down to our new place since Tuesday and all I have to say is “Good Golly we have a lot of stuff!!” I have been trying to get rid of things as I pack but have not been very successful. I have a hard time getting rid of things, though Th. would say I am much too eager to get rid of things. But then he’s never watched Miss Hass packing up her stuff.
I remember watching her pack her stuff to go into storage for the summer. In my memory she was gleeful to be tossing all the stuff she didn’t think she needed. I remember being slightly horrified by this, but in a brave effort I asked if I could save...er...have a bowl she was tossing. It was a very large plastic green bowl. I use it whenever I am making a big salad or need to raise dough for bread. It’s probably the bowl I use the most. I think of Miss Hass everytime I use it….THANK YOU Miss Hass! (for letting me have the bowl and not hating me for sharing this story—I love you!)
On a side note, Miss Hass donated all of her items to the DI, she didn’t just throw them in a dumpster which I think is horrible, if the items are still in good shape. Once I walked down to put my trash in the dumpster only to find it was full of perfectly good-looking clothes (except that someone had already placed their messy trash on them). I was outraged.
Putting all our stuff in boxes has caused me to wonder if I have a consumerism problem. My BFA project was all about consumerism and how Americans are obsessed by buying stuff and derive meaning for their lives from the items they buy—shopping as a spiritual quest. “Have I become this?” I wondered as a placed the 400th book in a box. Then I remembered how I do not enjoy shopping. Whenever I walk into a mall I get a headache after about ten minutes, then a feeling of nausea after a half hour. Going to the mall is not a trip I enjoy. I try not to buy things at the mall. I avoid the mall…….brrrrr I just got shivers thinking about the mall!
Most of the stuff I own once belonged to someone else and so holds memories of that person /place/event. Getting rid of the item would be to lose a tangible part of the memory. So I guess this makes me not an empty consumer but a memory pack rat. Well that’s a relief. I’d rather have a house full of memories than empty items bought at the mall…..brrrr…….
AH-HA! We did toss something! A big black cd shelf thing which Th. brought home from his days of working at the video warehouse. Oh! I also tossed some well worn kitchen utensils. And to the local thrift store I donated an out of date “Outlet Shopping in Utah” book, some immodest clothes from my younger years and a whole set of dishes that I no longer need since I now own FiestaWare (service for twelve). Yippee! I can let go of stuff! Though not enough to make a significant difference. Sigh……..
I remember watching her pack her stuff to go into storage for the summer. In my memory she was gleeful to be tossing all the stuff she didn’t think she needed. I remember being slightly horrified by this, but in a brave effort I asked if I could save...er...have a bowl she was tossing. It was a very large plastic green bowl. I use it whenever I am making a big salad or need to raise dough for bread. It’s probably the bowl I use the most. I think of Miss Hass everytime I use it….THANK YOU Miss Hass! (for letting me have the bowl and not hating me for sharing this story—I love you!)
On a side note, Miss Hass donated all of her items to the DI, she didn’t just throw them in a dumpster which I think is horrible, if the items are still in good shape. Once I walked down to put my trash in the dumpster only to find it was full of perfectly good-looking clothes (except that someone had already placed their messy trash on them). I was outraged.
Putting all our stuff in boxes has caused me to wonder if I have a consumerism problem. My BFA project was all about consumerism and how Americans are obsessed by buying stuff and derive meaning for their lives from the items they buy—shopping as a spiritual quest. “Have I become this?” I wondered as a placed the 400th book in a box. Then I remembered how I do not enjoy shopping. Whenever I walk into a mall I get a headache after about ten minutes, then a feeling of nausea after a half hour. Going to the mall is not a trip I enjoy. I try not to buy things at the mall. I avoid the mall…….brrrrr I just got shivers thinking about the mall!
Most of the stuff I own once belonged to someone else and so holds memories of that person /place/event. Getting rid of the item would be to lose a tangible part of the memory. So I guess this makes me not an empty consumer but a memory pack rat. Well that’s a relief. I’d rather have a house full of memories than empty items bought at the mall…..brrrr…….
AH-HA! We did toss something! A big black cd shelf thing which Th. brought home from his days of working at the video warehouse. Oh! I also tossed some well worn kitchen utensils. And to the local thrift store I donated an out of date “Outlet Shopping in Utah” book, some immodest clothes from my younger years and a whole set of dishes that I no longer need since I now own FiestaWare (service for twelve). Yippee! I can let go of stuff! Though not enough to make a significant difference. Sigh……..
posted by Lady Steed at 4:04 PM
8 Comments:
Ha ha!! I had completely forgotten about that. I did the same thing when I moved to Boston and then again when I got to Indiana. Of course, the problem is that sometimes I need whatever it is I threw out. But I'm a risk-taker like that...
ps--I'm glad the bowl could be of such use to you. It would never have been so fulfilled in my house.
Every time we move I feel sick over the vast amount of stuff we have. Of course, a lot of it is books and CDs which I will probably never get rid of. I hate recreational shopping too, and usually avoid the mall unless I'm looking for something specific. Right now I'm already looking around our apartment trying to decide what I'll get rid of when we do move later this year. Anyone want a rotisserie oven?
The worst part of moving is the I'll Get to It Later closet. You know, then one where you stuff everything that you need to reorganize or pare down or do something with. The one that I still haven't touched after nearly two years in my apartment. You might be inspiring me to take care of it this weekend. Or maybe I'll blog instead.
But really, why Lady Steed?
.
Inquiring minds, it would seem, want to know.
I always assumed it was from the Work and the Glory series.
But I could be wrong. And I have a hard time letting go of things, too.
.
You would be wrong, Tolkers.
And so you all know, Lady Steed has not forgotten you. But circumstances of the move are making the heart grow fonder.
ha-ha when I was first reading the part about Miss Hass I thought it was a teacher you had as a child and I was like "wow! I had a teacher named Miss Hass when I was growing up! I wonder if it was the same one!" and then I realized.... I’m on crack...
we are also pack rats. my dad has a habit of seeing good things get thrown into the garbage and he just can’t see it get tossed and will take it home.
or it might even be something that needs minimal repair and will take it home to fix it, only to find, it will never be fixed.
however I blame it all on the depression. that is so why my dad keeps stuff. because you never knew if you would have stuff later.
Post a Comment
<< Home