Everyone needs to move every 10 years to get rid of things like obscure glassware, and etc. Yet this week I had to go to the thrift store to get a particular kind of dish that I had jettisoned in our last move. I needed one dish, not six of them. I need one for a Table display in a flower show.
But make no mistake, I have no regret in getting rid of those plates and if I really cared about it, it is easy enough to find six from eBay. .
What I liked about that article was how she talked about how we go through stages choosing possessions that we think might define us. The description of Kevin was priceless... I think many of us could relate to the many costumes we use to identify ourselves. I think that's why I'm comfortable with my purge. I'm old enough to have a better sense of who I am, and I was able to fairly easily get rid of the material symbols that I thought rep represented me at one time or another.Originally Posted by Rogar
I'm trying to determine if I have an analogue to her typewriter as personal icon, but I don't think there's one. (I have to say, I chuckled when I read that because when my mother asked what I wanted for a HS graduation gift, I told her I wanted a typewriter and we both ultimately decided on a Hermes--the same kind the author talks about.). I think maybe my personal "icons" that represent me are some of the homemade gifts my kids have given me throughout the years. I think that as generic and uninteresting as it sounds, I think being a mother has defined me.
"Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it--every, every minute?" Emily Webb, Our Town
www.silententry.wordpress.com
Loved that article. But I'm still keeping my stuff, lol. It does get waded through off and on; some things leave, others arrive. And I AM trying to not buy more dishcloths.... but they are pretty! and useful! and they wear out! and they make great lightweight souvenirs!
If our possessions - ours are many, and varied- define us, we are in deep trouble.....
This sentence in the article is how I think about my possessions. If I look at the things I kept when my parents died, they really are about their lives and not mine but they are all I have other than memories and photos. Since DD never really knew them, they will mean nothing to her.I decided to let it go, because who in the world would understand its meaning once I was gone?
It can be nice, tho, to have a thing or two from the ancient ones we never met. I don't mean rooms of heavy furniture, I mean a small tchothke or useful item. But you ( the general you) have to actually LIKE the thing or else it is just annoying clutter.
My sister in law has an entire bedroom with crap from my mom, her mom, her aunt, her grandmother. When she opened the drawer to show me porcelain cat figures my mother collected, I recognized them but do not care about them.
I don't have many everyday attachments, a few items that go into my pocket every morning and come out again at night, a small pen knife that I'm always finding a use for, my wallet and phone. I also always have a drink in hand or at least within reach, Mt Dew Zero, I'm a slow sipper so only have a few each day but there's always one nearby.
As for sentimental things, I have a jewelry box on my bedroom chest with no jewelry in it, just a hockey puck and Grover (Sesame Street) finger puppet which were the first silly gifts my wife bought for me while we were dating in 1976. When the grand boys were small I had to keep them hidden so they didn't disappear but now that they're 26 and 21 those treasures are probably safe.
Oh, and a pony shoe which she bought for me in those dating days as well. There's significance in the puck and puppet but we've both forgotten what it may be for the little horseshoe. That's ok, I'll still keep it forever.
"Things should be made as simple as possible, but not one bit simpler." ~ Albert Einstein
If I ever had to totally declutter, like say assisted living or seeking refuge in a tiny home in the PNW, my small family reminders would be the hardest to get rid of. I've been careful not to be an accumulator, but have some nice reminders of generations passed. Value and utility are irrelevant.
Dad's war memorabilia and trumpet, grandmother's hand made quilts, great uncle's plain's tribe bow and arrow set and another's console tube radio, etc.
"what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" Mary Oliver
Great article, Catherine. I love Ann Patchett, and she has a new book out (Tom Lake) that is on my list.
I don't know that I've ever given much thought to the idea of possessions that define who I am or was. If pressed, I suppose I would say it's my house overall and my garden. Then again, I have to wonder if I'm really being honest with myself here. When you come in my front door, surely I'm making some type of statement with the large wasp's nest and the coyote skull and the bat encased in Lucite, along with the houseplants and books.
On the other hand, we just came back from 8 nights in the Berkshires, and I had brought 10 bags with us! I must always have my percolator and pillows, and of course, along with the percolator, I need coffee, mugs, a small bottle of cinnamon with a tiny spoon, some handy wipes and a little bottle of Dawn, and of course a couple of dishtowels (and I gather from you all that I'm not alone in having a rather vast collection).
iPhone
Apple Watch
iPad
Morning coffee and sausage McMuffin from McD
Small tins of Nivea crčam in my purse
Pilot G-2 gel pens in blue (.7 fine point)
Nice letter paper
Hydro Flask water bottle and coffee travel mug
There are four everyday carry essentials that I have in my possession at nearly all times: my mobile phone, eyeglasses, keys, and a slim cardholder wallet.
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