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……..
