Material World

Here I am. This is me. This is me purging.

Ladies and Gents, that was my first round of getting rid of excess clothes. It's ridiculous.

Why Oh Why do I have so much STUFF? It's overwhelming me. I spend a ridiculous amount of time doing laundry, picking up the house, having the kids clean their rooms. And lately I've just been wishing for sparsity. I'm envisioning a home with two chairs in the living room, with a round table nearby to set my glass of tea. I could do without the TV.

I picture a playroom with a few special toys, stocked bookcases, a couple of meaningful stuffed animals (like the Teddy that my Nature Boy slept with every night for 6 years)...not piles upon piles of rarely-played with cars and trucks, puppets and legos, etc. Why do I keep things that we rarely use? Why do I buy more, when I have so much? The stuff is worthless, unless we're using it.

In fact, worse than worthless, because once we've accumulated a certain amount of stuff, it starts to own us rather than the other way around. The house has to be big enough for the stuff. We have to have enough storage for the stuff. Enough time to care for the stuff.

Enough already. No more stuff!!!

Really, a house full of stuff can be very depressing. A cluttered room saps my spirits.

Now, I'm certainly not saying that I've overcome my ways. We Americans are used to our Stuff. We love our Stuff. We buy more and more Stuff, especially if it's a bargain. Or the neighbor/ friend/ co-worker has it. Gotta keep up with the crowd, right?

No, I'm not free from it. But I see it. And I want to be free.

Money IS for spending. But we spend and spend until we're enslaved to our possesions, those good deals, and the time to maintain it.

Now, I do enjoy clothes. It's a weakness for me.

I see style as a great way to express who I am and what I like. It's an art form.

Still, I had too much. And I'm trying to fix that.

I have too much home decor. Too many kitchen gadgets. When was the last time I used that popcorn popper? Have I ever needed three muffin tins at the same time? Maybe once. And I could have borrowed an extra.

I keep things for the "what-if"s and the "potential."

But, friends, this is me.

This is me, turning over a new leaf. I'm purging. I want less. I want only what we use regularly. I want to feel FREE from the stuff.

I want the time and energy to focus on the important things. I'll keep the Stuff that helps me towards that goal (art supplies, books for my kids...) but the random extra stuff just has to go!

So, who needs something? Maybe I have one you could come get. Doesn't hurt to ask.