Stuff is funny.
We come into the world attached to nothing. But at first, being a baby and being one with the universe, we think we own it all. Then we turn two and figure out that it all belongs to somebody else, except for maybe a hot dog and baby doll. So we set out on a life long quest to get all the stuff that everybody else has that looks so good to us.
As a teen, we discover and declare our identity by our stuff. This rock band poster. This fabulous skirt and blouse. These fuzzy purple dice hanging from the rear view mirror of this sweet ride. Our stuff has a way of telling other people who we are, so we are very careful about how we present ourselves with our stuff.
As an adult, we get stuff to do stuff. Stuff is power. Stuff is convenience. Stuff is status. Stuff is comfort. And stuff is still identity, just like when we were young. You are what you own, after all.
When does stuff overwhelm? When does it irritate? When does it soothe and compensate for other losses? These are all very personal questions with individual answers. Some people cling to stuff and some go through life happy as a clam with no stuff. Some must have perfect stuff perfectly in place and others only think about the clutter when they need to find something in it.
In the end, all our stuff stays here. We go on without it. So, from a very long term perspective, perhaps a good goal would be to learn happiness independent of stuff. House fires, theft, car accidents, who gets grandmas dish set, it's only stuff, really. And you can't take it with you.
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Suburban mother of three, living the American dream of mortgages and minivans. This low-risk existence may ensure a longer lifespan, but does not guarantee quality of content in blog posts. Side effects from reading content below may include drowsiness and dry mouth, so please consult a health care professional if symptoms persist.
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5 comments:
Your post reminds me about the moment of Mom's death. She was gone and the stuff she had was still there. It was a real moment of revelation.
I always learn so much (and have so much to think about) when you speak. You are very wise, Heather!!
You're just saying that because YOU didn't get grandma's dishes! ;)
I don't care much about stuff. I do like useful stuff that makes my life easier or better in some way, though. "Stuff" is all about choices, which is why we came here to earth...so "stuff" is a pretty important subject and a great thing to blog about! I've thought a lot about stuff, myself. At times I thought I could do without just about any of my stuff except my pictures and video tapes of my kids. Now, I realize that even those are not all that necessary...just nice. Even the really seemingly important stuff that reminds us of a special person in our life is really nothing more than a memory trigger. I think pictures can do the same thing and take up a lot less space. But somehow when I try to do away with certain of Aaron's things, I can't bring myself to do it. So, I guess that what we think and what we do about stuff can be a deep emotional thing, worthy of lots more thought. Great blog. Thanks.
deep thoughts. really. I like my "stuff" that makes life easier and more comfortable. I am glad I am not a pioneer. and when we are gone I think our fam. will still care about the "stuff" that was very special to us:)
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