Saturday, May 4, 2013

Getting Rid of Stuff

Our neighbors decided to have a several house garage sale so we decided to join in. As always when we have a garage sale, we went through the house to find everything we could to get rid of. Some things were so easy to say, " yeah, it's gone." But other things, we both found hard to give up because of the emotional attachment we had to that item. Each of us felt attached to different things for different reasons, but we both felt attachment to things.

It's is amazing that we, as humans, feel anything about things, stuff. I know I have items from my childhood that I have kept because they remind me of a time or a person, and it occurs to me that I do not need anything to remind me. Those memories are with me regardless. It's not only those kinds of things. It's clothes, shoes, books, bras, etc. When I was available to look, I was shocked to see how many feelings I attach to stuff. I am not a hoarder by any means but I can see how these sort of feelings lead to hoarding.

It's good to understand that things do not make me happy. And it connects to something deeper as well: the reality that nothing outside of me can make me happy. What I do and how I feel about  myself are the only things that will make me happy. It's a short sentence, but it's packed full of responsibilities.  It means that I am fully responsible for my own happiness. I think some people say they are responsible for their happiness yet don't really see the whole scope of it all. Think about all the different things that go into you really being happy. Just to list a few:

Skin care
Hair care
Weight
Internal Health
Exercise
Friends
Family
Hobbies
Work
Housework
Yard work
Clothes
Kids(if you have them; I don't)

That's all I can come up with off the top of my head. There have to be so many more and each of us have things that others do not. It seems like a lot to do yet if I care, it comes so much easier. It's the struggling against it that makes it hard.

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