Too Much Stuff

My brother used to have a bumper sticker on the back of his car "The one who dies with the most toys wins." That bumper sticker came to mind this week as I "de-cluttered" my house in preparation for sale. How did I get so much stuff? We've been working for about two weeks off and on trying to prepare for an open house and though everything is a little neater there is still too much. We're gonna need a big van to move out. Yet what really struck me is the time it takes to maintain all this stuff. Life was a lot simpler when I could fit everything I owned in the back of a car. 

Most of us spend our lives gathering. We collect the trinkets and mementos of long-ago friendships rather than maintaining the friendship. We store reminders from experiences we've had but have to spend time dusting them instead of having new experiences. And, of course, we purchase more so we can keep up with the neighbors when we've never had the neighbors over for dinner or a drink.

I'm not suggesting that we give everything away and live on the street. Yet there is significant research that suggests we are happier and feel greater well being from experiences rather than possessions. Excellent. When I think about the best memories I have, they aren't from a Christmas full of gifts. They are from moments with friends and loved ones. Even experiences of personal greatness, moments of success, or celebrations of someone else's success stick out in my mind as more memorable than all of the stuff. 

I want to redo the bumper sticker to read "The one who dies with the most toys still dies." Its a good reminder for me that I don't want to go to my grave carrying the heavy burden of all this stuff. I'd rather be carrying the lighter more important load of great memories from my time with others, or my experiences. 

Ah, but for right now, I have to get back to packing all of the stuff.