Monday, June 3, 2013

The Weariness of Stuff




Every increased possession loads us with new weariness.

John Ruskin (1819-1900)

I've been going through stuff these days -- too much stuff -- so when I read the Ruskin quote I thought exactly. I have felt exactly that -- weary -- of late, and beyond the usual sources of fatigue, I imagine the clutter of books I've read and clothes I've not worn and too many knickknacks and the stacks of papers are weighing me down. I've fantasized with a friend about getting rid of everything, piling the kids into a retro-fitted Air-stream trailer and taking off to see the country.

Reader, are you in?


22 comments:

  1. Wow. You can have my Airstream. This would solve a bit of my most recent "stuff" burden.
    Win-win.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I am completely in on the idea of you taking my kids to see the country! Thanks for the offer. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yes...Where do you wish to go?

    On a more realistic note, don't get overwhelmed by "stuff." Start small, then figure out what you can do...Is anything worth a buck?
    List it here and give your blog friends a chance to yay or nay before putting it on eBay, donating it or chucking it.
    Or, you could do what I did as a kid...Shove it under your bed...(LOL)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Absolutely! As long as that Airstream has wireless so we can blog along the way.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Funny to read this today. I am about to search for an affordable storage unit for my excess stuff that cannot fit in my smaller digs.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I am so in...in fact I have been planning this very thing...in my mind I call it "My great escape"...I already have my trailer...working on my stuff...for gas money!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm packing and writing. I did just what you're doing, last month. I feel your weariness. You will feel a great sigh of relief when you're done.
    xxoo

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'm in. May or may not bring kids. Or husband.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I am so in! A friend of mine just recently downsized - drastically. Whenever I go to her house I am so filled with jealousy over her nothing-ness, it's unbelievable.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Another comment. I remember once I went over to a friend's house. This woman was a bit odd. Anyway, she had been in a purging process and had gotten rid of almost everything in her house that she possibly could. Barebones. And I looked around and I thought, "Sometimes less is just...less."
    What I'm saying is, I do believe there is a happy medium. Too much clutter is overwhelming and soul sucking but a little bit can be cozy.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I hope you'll bring your new art with you ;)

    ReplyDelete
  12. I am so very in. In 2008 we sold the house, gave away 95% of our stuff and became full time RVers. A new rule is nothing can come in unless something goes out. Another rule is that if you haven't touched it in a year it goes out. And of course there is no keeping shorts just in case one loses that last 5 pounds so they will zip again. It totally changes your relationship with stuff.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Well isn't that freaky.

    Just left SD's blog and mentioned my yearning for an Airstream, as he was posting about escaping in and RV and leaving life behind for awhile.

    Sounds heavenly.

    Think of you and yours often.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I am in the middle of some purging as well -- so I can relate!

    ReplyDelete
  15. i too am so weary. but the trailer? no thanks. then you have the nightmare of parking the huge thing some place, and living in europe, that's daily weariness. how about a backpack and the railway? :)

    ReplyDelete
  16. Purge, my dear. Get a box, fill it up, dump it out. Live with less, live happily.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I have a serious Airstream fetish. I mean serious. My book takes place mostly in one and I'm dreaming of hitting the road in an Airstream and selling books at farmer's markets. So yeah, I'm with you.

    ReplyDelete

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...