All my stuff's here anyway.
from Pinch Me, Barenaked Ladies
We are contemplating our stuff. We have a lot of stuff. And as much as we have loved our little bungalow, we will both be SO relieved to see the end of it. Mainly, this 2200 square foot house (plus full basement) serves our stuff. It is a huge storage locker. Linnea kept a storage locker for five years after she packed up the Hammond house. She paid $40 a month so her extra stuff would have a place to live, and when she finally looked at the stuff, she threw it all away. Our stuff is not as important as we think it is.
I am remembering Hurricane Opal. It was heading toward Pensacola, and I had been asked to report to the Naval Air Station for duty. I had a moment to look around my house, where I lived alone. Opal was a BIG hurricane and it was heading right for us. I took my cats, my passport, and some frozen homemade pasties that my mom had made. Cats and passport are easy to explain. The pasties - more complicated - but I suppose they reminded me that I am loved, and I am connected to family and my heritage. Altogether a good reminder of priorities.
Here in present day Milwaukee, I was so impressed with Ean's HUGE pile of "goodwill" clothes that I whipped through my half of the closet and thinned it by a third. Our stuff is like an anchor, holding us firmly attached to this old life. We are ready to drop the chain and go.
