Saturday, August 05, 2006

Stuff

Now, back to the "more on that later" matters of packing up, moving on, settling in...

Hauling your stuff halfway across the country is a hellish task. Even with the professional movers, who amaze in their capacity to make things fit in just the right, tight crannies, it's nothing but tedious. Jesus was right on, as usual, when he instructed us to go light.

Where does this hording instinct come from? What on earth are we ever going to do with all this stuff? Why this human tendency to collect and store and stockpile?

Storage is an industry, and not an inexpensive one. We're squirrels busily burrowing niches for stuff we will never use.

In a reversal of Thoreau's wisdom at Walden Pond, why let your matters be as one or two when thousands can provide you a weird sense of security?

I was embarrassed to discover an upstairs closet at Trinity full of files from Second B that I had not so much as glanced at over the past five years. Boxes and boxes still sealed shut from the move to San Antonio five years ago.

Why not pitch this useless material? How could I possibly ever use minutes from a monthly church business meeting back in 1989, even if it were in the realm of the remotest possibility that I would have the slightest clue where among those endless reams of paper I could ever put my hands on such a document? Not to mention the infintesimal possibility that anything interesting happened in a church business meeting...

Don't worry, fellow packrats. Those files got loaded up and trucked to Atlanta where they are now safely at rest in another closet I won't enter until it's time to pack 'em up and move 'em to the next place.

It's an addiction. Somebody start a 12 step group.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Boy, Charlie, can I relate! Barbara and I are "battling" over the pack rat syndrome as this post is being made. I want to dump but she will hear none of it. I am resigned to accomodating her as there ar those rare instances (very rare) when we actually need one of those obscure widgets that will fix a loose wheel on a vacuum cleaner or a file that contains obscure information that no one could haver ever believed we would need.

Wayne

Anonymous said...

Charles are you married with children? If so I do not see them mentioned on your website.

Anonymous said...

CFJ- Glad to see you added your familys info to blog.

Anonymous said...

Charlie: There are many people in SA who love you, and wish you the best in Atlanta and beyond.
T & J

Anonymous said...

There is at least one good thing about keeping stuff--If you got rid of any of it, It would free up
space to buy and store more stuff that you don't need--therefore you save money. For that reason and that reason only, I would never suggest that my loved one get rid of old unneeded stuff. gbj

Anonymous said...

You are not alone! Many of us are afflicted with the hording disease.

Don and Stephanie

Anonymous said...

Charlie, I have been out of touch too long. I kind of kept track of you after you left Lubbock, but didn't keep in touch as a friend should. I am so very glad to find you here.

I just want to make an offering of prayer and support for you in your sometimes confusing (to me) journey with Christ.

Jay Morrow,
Lubbock

Mark Goodyear said...

I'm with you on the accumulation of stuff. My wife and I have two kids--who have two sets of grandparents.

So we know about stuff.

I'm more of a pack and purge kind of person. I'll store it for years and then toss it. I figure if I need it again that badly, I can just buy it again. Or else write it again. Or make it again. Or just hold it in my memory.

(And thanks for the link to "The High Calling" in your side bar.)

Anonymous said...

Mark,
I also enjoy The High Calling Link.
Lately, I have meditated on the prayer in the full text of the Daily Reflections section dated 8/8/O6.

Anonymous said...

Peace of God be unto you and your beautiful family.
Glad to know all have arrived safely.It was our pleasure spending time with you and Jana just before you left.
Please email me with your phone information at zshakir@sbcglobal.net
Give our love to your wife, I look forward to speaking with you very soon.
Love Zarinah and Omar