Stuff is Just Stuff

     If you're like me and have been doing some "Spring Cleaning" haven't you found that you have way more "stuff" than you could possibly need or even want?  Andy would call that a "First World Problem" and he would be right.  What other country in the world is so immersed in consumerism and material wealth than the US? 
     My cousin, Gene, sent me a great article this past week.  It's title is, "What It's Really Like to Sell Your Stuff and Move to Italy."  As an introduction to her list, the author, Lisa Condie, states: "Making a conscious decision to choose experiences over possessions, I deliberately let go of anything that couldn't fit in two suitcases, especially if it came with a monthly payment. I was seeking a different type of happiness ... the kind that changed my soul."
     I am going to borrow her eight lessons for today's blog and give it a French twist.  Hope you enjoy it.

1.   THERE'S NO ROOM FOR CLUTTER - as I am renovating each room I am going through desk drawers and cabinets and photos and shelves and realizing what is truly valuable to me and what I see as just clutter.  I, too, plan to live in Europe on what I can fit in two suitcases so everything I look at gets scrutinized through that filter.  Will I take it to France?  Do I need it for survival or for memories left behind?  If I'm not planning to take it with me, is it important enough to leave behind in a storage locker for use when I return to Colorado at some point in the future? 
    Since I plan to house sit for an extended amount of time I can enjoy other people's clutter without having to take my own!
2.   CLOTHING - Since retiring from 31 years of teaching in 2008 I have certainly cut out a lot of my wardrobe.  Retirement clothes are much different from professional clothes, and thankfully so!  But now I have another filter (I like that word!) for choosing/buying/keeping clothes.  Will they come to France with me?  If not, they are given to Good Will or a local consignment store and I certainly will not buy more clothes.  I still have too many things hanging in my closet, but as I get closer to my departure date I will be more selective.
     Something this author writes about and is certainly true of the French is that quality over quantity wins out every time.  Who needs 3 pairs of black boots, when one very well-made Italian leather pair will do quite nicely and even if they are expensive they are more affordable than the 3 pair you had to start with.  The same is true of well-made clothing or beautiful accessories like scarves or purses. 
3.   I CAN LOOK BUT NOT BUY - or in other words, enjoy window shopping!  Since I won't be owning or even renting a home, I will have no place to put furniture, or kitchen gadgets, or artwork.  So I will enjoy seeing these items and not feel like I have to buy anything extra.
4.   MONEY FOR EXPERIENCES - this is a big one, folks!  Who needs stuff when there are so many places to see and experiences to be had all over France.  Or all over Europe, for that matter, since countries are so close in proximity once you're in France.  As the author says, "There's more money for fun when you live small."  Amen! 
5.   STUFF IS STUFF - I will quote the author as she says it best, "It's helped me to un-attach to almost everything I own, and find real joy in that nothing 'owns me'."

Memories to take with me

6.   PRIORITIZING - As I decide what to keep and what goes, I look at the emotional value of things that I have.  For example, I want to keep (and take with me) a small angel holding a bluebird that belonged to my mother.  Angels and bluebirds make me think of her.  This will go with me wherever I may call home.  Also, I will take a small blue glass bud vase that was part of my dad's blue glass collection.  And a small paperweight that has a lady bug inside as that was given to me by my mom and has a sweet story behind it.  And, oddly to some, I am setting aside some rocks.  Yes, that's right, some Colorado rocks, which we collected on many many camping trips over the years.  That way a little piece of Colorado will always be with me.  I probably won't take any of my art collection as none of the pieces would fit in a suitcase, but these will certainly be placed in storage or perhaps "loaned" to certain friends and family members who love them as much as I do. 
7.   MEMORIES - The author writes, "We think these are things, but they are actually within us."  She was able to get rid of all the "stuff" that held memories for her and realized that the memories remained even thought the stuff was gone.  I don't have quite that same feeling as I recounted above.  And as someone who believes strongly in passing down certain family memories, I feel it's important to hold onto old photographs (although they are all on a flash drive these days) and certain objects that hold special meaning to me and I hope some day will hold special meaning to Andy and his children.  But those don't have to take up a lot of room.  My Mom made some wonderful Christmas trees using her mother's and her own jewelry, making an outline on a velvet covered board with tiny lights and filling in the outline with the jewelry.  She made 4 as far as I know.  The one that hung in her house forever was noticed and commented on by everyone who visited her.  After Mom's death I wasn't sure what to do with her tree as I already had one and so does Cindy.  My cousin Sara solved the problem.  She said she would feel honored to have it hang on her wall and she and her siblings would take turns keeping it each year and loving it!  Mom would be so happy to know that her tree is being taken care of by her precious nieces and nephew.  So, it's OK to let others share in those memories and keep them going in the family.

My Christmas Tree

8.   FREEDOM - The author says it better than I could so I will quote her: "I no longer can give beautiful dinner parties with 12 place settings of Lenox china and crystal. However, I can tell you where to stand to catch the last wisp of the pink light in a Tuscan sunset. I know exactly where to find a meal of handmade pasta with ricotta and pine nuts, topped with fresh tomatoes and basil, in the tiny town of Cortona. I have hiked along the Italian coast and swum in the crystal clear water of the Tyrrhenian Sea to my heart's content. I turn the key to lock an apartment I do not own, sometimes for weeks at a time, to taste the freedom of a new adventure. I have never once thought it was a poor trade!"
     So there you have it.  What is the price we pay for having stuff and more stuff?  I look forward to a simpler life without all the things that own me.  I look forward to a time when my only expenses are for food and how to get to my next great adventure.  Notice I mentioned food first! :-)  Eating in France (and in Italy) is certainly a great pleasure and quite memorable.
     Thank you for reading this post.  I look forward to your thoughts and comments regarding stuff and how to lessen the hold that it has on us.  It's all part of the journey east for me.  Thanks for coming along!  Merci!