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holding on
November 2009 
What are you saving?
Posted on Nov 16th, 2008
by 
tinkonthebrink
tinkonthebrink
This is in Response to the Questions and Reflections for November 16, 2008:
We've recently been talking about getting rid of the storage space we rent, which means getting rid of the stuff in the storage space, which means getting rid of a lot of stuff in our house so that other things will have a place to be, which is all very traumatic for me. I've lived here for too long I think - my life used to be more spare because I moved fairly often and jettisoned everything that wasn't essential each time I changed houses. I have 8 years of not moving to a new house to contend with. I have boxes in the basement that I haven't opened since I moved here from San Diego. I know that if I open the boxes I'll find things I don't want to get rid of, but I no longer know what's in those boxes.
So yesterday almost every pair of shoes that aren't Earth Shoes went away, because I really only wear Earth Shoes now. They're so comfortable and so odd looking that there's no going back for me. But I had 4 inch stillettos from the days when I wore such things, and my paddock boots and some flip flops and an assortment of unloved and unworn shoes and boots. Now, I don't want you to get the idea that I'm like Imelda Marcos with the shoes, and that's part of my problem. If I lived in a normal house with storage space and crazy things like closets no one would think I have all that much stuff. But I don't live in that kind of house. There is one tiny closet in the bedroom and one small coat closet in the hall, and that's it. And the house is small, about 900 square feet or so, so there is no place for anything extra.
Oh, the coats got thinned out yesterday as well, and the hats and gloves and things in the coat closet. And what's interesting is how much lighter I feel without all those lovely things I might want one day but don't want or use now. It's like I can feel the physical weight of those objects removed from my life. The every day coat I kept is a black Columbia jacket that's thin and warm and made out of something that magically repels animal hair, which is the only sort of black clothing I can own. I kept two pairs of gloves, one black and one red, even though I don't need two pairs. I kept several skarves and a couple of hats. I still have more than I need but it's much less than it used to be.
I've begged people for the past couple of years not to do the christmas gift thing with us, because we just don't need more stuff. And it's hard to get rid of things that were gifted to me especially if I love the person who gave them and they picked something out that's adorable and unique and just for me - but really, I don't need more stuff. I'm going to try again this year to convince people of this but I feel like Ebenezer Scrooge about it all. Maybe I can convince them that they're giving me the gift of space and air and weightlessness of life instead of objects? Maybe.
Access: Public
here….merry christmas…
Oh Tom, thank you. It's just the right color and it fits perfectly. It's exactly what I always wanted.
Yes! I know exactly what you're talking about. You've inspired me to have a look at all those shoes I don't wear!
I've moved on now to all my cool hippie clothes that I don't actually wear. I've spent today putting things on and looking in a mirror and then mostly putting them in a bag for the thrift store. And rediscovering some awesome things that got lost behind the other stuff. It's nice to let things go - someone will love these things, they're very interesting. It's nice to kiss things goodbye.
Tink, now that I've got little nephews who get all the attention at holidays, my brother and I have adopted a tradition my father and his brother used to have. My father and uncle used to give each other gift certificates to this fancy tie store. Since neither my brother nor I have dress-up kind of jobs, I give him a gift certificate to Norther Brewers for xmas and b-day, so he can buy hops and stuff to brew beer each fall, and he gives me gift certificates to my favorite art store, so I can keep playing at that. We pool our resources and give my parents a gift certificate to an astronomically priced restaurant with a gazillion stars in Zagats for xmas and each of their birthdays so they can have an extremely decadent meal for their anniversary. It cuts down on all the stuff-giving while indulging each of us in our primary passions. With my friends we've all agreed no xmas gifts, only bdays. So the only mad-stuff-giving revolves around my nephews. It's a start at least ; )