Studio8 - Uniting the Arts

moving on ( without a Pontiac )

it's a common misconception
that you own your stuff
when in reality
your stuff owns you

everything you "own"
requires something back from you
stuff needs maintenance, cleaning
it takes your "free" time from you

the only real way to feel free
completely free,
from the rigorous demands of your stuff
is to get rid of said stuff

and so I did
no more car washing
no more oil changes
no new sets of tires

it was symbolic of course
no car
no best friend
no wife

I got rid of a lot of my stuff........ ( I savored my sudden freedom )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvgN5gCuLac

True. I've come around, over the years, to the same basic outlook. Not that "stuff" is bad; life is a balancing act in general, and "material" vs. "spiritual" is no different. I think you just narrow your focus a bit more as you go; what things matter, and what things don't, as much, anymore-- so you set them (and yourself) free!... And sometimes we're just jolted to move on ... As with, the Pontiac ...

Which reminds me, one of my favorite bits by Tom Waits is called The Pontiac. "Dad" reminiscing about old car memories ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4F9AoKJGWis

Moving our mom into an assisted-living facility meant moving her out of her apartment. What a chore - she hoarded everything. Our dad's tax returns dating back to 1952. Years and years of Yankee Magazine. Clothes she hadn't worn since JFK was in office. Cookware she'd never used. In her dementia she couldn't understand why she couldn't just transfer everything from her 4-room apartment to her 2-room apartment (cram 10 lb into a 5-lb bag). We were under a tight deadline, so we had to be brutal in our choices, and it left bruises that have yet to heal.

Then I looked in the mirror, and saw: 40 years worth of Scientific Americans. College notebooks I could no longer understand. High school term papers. Diaries I'd kept in middle school. Homemade electronic gadgets I'd never gotten to work. ("Someday...") Etc.......

Out with it all. Liberating.

I still have a hard time getting rid of books (including an 1876 astronomy text), but I try to haul away at least one "treasured" memento every week on trash day. I don't want my daughter to go through what Karen & I did.

I understand but my main stuff is books----and it is the immateriality of books----the words inside that transport you to every imaginable place that matter. So though a book is a thing, it is also something more. You are right about the maintenance of stuff stealing time.

"the just in case" syndrome keeps my bookshelves full, my fabric cupboard stuffed. I feel the attachment take over as my ruthless side attempts to clean shop. So, I place beloved items in a place where others can come claim them. Unfortunately, I often find something else to lug home in those free-trade locations.
and so it goes

thanx for all the great comments
my situation at the time was extreme
and today i have more stuff...but I have thrown away
quite a bit, or given it to folks that might need it
I regularly take things to a homeless encampment under Interstate 83
and last year I donated 9 boxes of books to The Book Thing which gives them away to folks that want them
The Garage is next...mostly construction stuff from my business
and I have already given away my big table saw, a router, a planer, and two chop saws and many hand tools
I am on a mission to pare down
we have a cool site in town called Buy Nothing Baltimore...its amazing...you can list things for people to pick up or you can say I need this or that and see what turns up...it's brilliant
there is a wonderful freedom that comes from having less ( withing reason of course)
I am aware of my good fortune
thanx again...enjoyed everyone's personal takes