Friday, April 12, 2013

I Have Too Much 'Stuff'

Today I decided that I have too much "stuff."

My house is overrun with things I do not need or use, and this weekend I am going to explore the cluttered world that I call home. 

My most valuable possessions are my books, my writing, and my photographs. I don’t consider these items to be “stuff,” I consider them to be part of me, my life, my essence, and I cannot part with them. Instead I will look at the clothes, the shoes, the cups, the plastic containers (should we really be eating and drinking out of plastic?), and the stacks of other items that I have gotten so used to seeing that I really don’t even “see” them anymore.

Like the albatross that Coleridge’s poor Mariner was forced to carry, the psychological toll of having too much stuff has become too much for me to bear. 

Rather than just throw things away, I plan to give away, repurpose, or recycle the things I don’t use or wear or want or need. Annie Leonard created "The Story of Stuff" back in 2007, and her anti-consumerism, pro-environmental sensibilities will serve as my inspiration and my guide to understanding how my ‘stuff’ bogs down my mind and my life. (Thank you, Annie). 

I am determined to clean out the valuable little speck of the world that I inhabit.

Here’s a link to The Story of Stuff Project that is dedicated to helping us learn about the stuff we buy, use, and throw away. (Where does stuff come from? How is it made? and Where does it go when we throw it away?) These are valuable questions with mind-boggling answers.

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