I realized, as I looked over the contents of my estate sale, that I have to damn much stuff. I realized how mindlessly I’d been living when I saw everything I still possessed spread out all over the house. There were things I forgot I owned or never used. If I’d deemed something to be “valuable,” I’d put it away in a safe place, where I never saw it or used it again. I remembered my husband exclaiming, “It’s a collector’s item. Keep it!” Some things I didn’t recall even owning, or haven’t used more than twice in years. For sure, I wasn’t going to drag all this to Tennessee. Otherwise, I may as well just stay in Rochester and keep on keeping on.
No more. I’m stepping into a new life in a new state, and I’m doing it unburdened. I have things to do, people to cherish and a God-given purpose, whatever it is. I’m sure He’ll let me know when I’m ready.
No, a new life beckons and I’m traveling into it light! I mentioned that to my friends who’ve been down this road and they just laughed at me. Apparently, I’ll accumulate new stuff. Maybe, but I vow I will use everything I purchase and will not be surprised in five years that I own it.
Like the hoarder who can’t find the door anymore, having too much stuff is limiting. It needs to be stored, cleaned, and, as I discovered to my dismay, is desired by no one. People don’t want fine china? Where are the folks who informed me that my hutch was a rare antique? And how much time will it take to find that thingamajig that I know I have …somewhere?
What if I’d thrown my hands in the air and said I couldn’t part with any of this and it’s too much to pack? My future would look like my present. That may comfort some, but it would be an existential death sentence for me. What would I fail to do that I could have if I were free of “stuff?” What new horizons beckon that have no room (literally) for things?
Sometimes, it’s not too many things that tie us down. It may be fear, or our attachment to treasured objects of our past. And there’s nothing wrong with that. I suspect most of us want to keep things just as they are and embrace the well-known and well worn.
I get that and am probably an odd one who looks ahead and not behind. You see, I can’t do anything about the past, but the future is full of possibilities. I need to let go so I can grab on.
Go or stay, I believe God uses us wherever we are. I just don’t want a life-time accumulation of things to interfere with my decision.
And to be honest, I don’t miss the stuff. I feel lighter and freer already.
