Filling your Life with STUFF

                                                     

                                                    I am here sitting in my room. 

Yes, that's right. Just sitting. It's been a long day. I am looking around and notice all the STUFF in my room. The stuff and the things and all that junk. Well it's not all junk. Some hold more meaning than others and some are just laying about from procrastination and negligence. There are some clutter piles, even though I do not like clutter. Cut me a break, I just haven't gotten around to it. 

                                            There's a Fine line between Stuff and Junk

It feels as if we are taught at a young age to hold on to things that have meaning or we may use or may think we may use in the future. You know, like that little fancy thingamajig your aunt gave you for Christmas 5 years ago. It's cool to surround yourself with stuff. Especially with stuff that you think you can identify with. Toys, hats, coins, art, notes, appliances etc. I mean we don't want be boring, we want that comfort. That sense of security that took so much time for us to build around us. So we get attached. We get caught in the habitual things of filling our lives and spaces with STUFF. Sure, it could have meaning, but most of the time it sits there. It reflects back to us like mirrors. Like things that give us a sense of purpose or belonging. 

Then when we start having too much stuff, we either cycle it out or throw it in a bin or closet. And when we have too much stuff for our space, we can get a storage unit. Then OUR stuff can sit in its own place out of our OWN way. Yet, it still becomes a part of our lives. In the background. A background of matter. Not dead and not alive. The stuff WE really like is the stuff that makes us FEEL a certain way. Feelings of comfort. Feelings of pleasure. Surely we wouldn't hold onto things that make us FEEL uncomfortable or angry now would we? 

We tend to think that we own our stuff, but how much of it is actually owning us or how we see ourselves?

Most of the time we hold onto things that might not make us FEEL anything. They are just there. And that's ok. There is no moral quandary with holding on to things that make us feel dull or nothing at all. It all just takes us so much space. Outside in our spaces and inside our heads. We hold onto it because we get use to it. We get use to the things that have stuck around for so long. The stuff starts to blend in what we THINK we are. This is an illusion. But maybe a necessary one at times?

Is a lamp simply just a lamp if we no longer own it?

Sure there are things we NEED or things that make out lives easier. Is this good? Well, that's up to you. There isn't necessarily wrong or right in this scenario, but the inner reflects the outer. What does that mean? Well, a cluttered space for the most part can mean a cluttered mind. A disorganized inner continuum. Is it bad to have a cluttered mind? Well it certainly can be cumbersome. It can also be very taxing to our limited energy. 

If we come home from a long day and see a sing full of dishes and various things in disarray, we may feel a certain way. It may FEEL like it weighs on us. We may even get some negative thoughts that may reflect our own self worth. We can ask ourselves, what if we were to be MORE organized or simply have LESS stuff? 

                                                        What does all this stuff... mean?

                                Does that mean we SHOULD be MINIMALISTS? Well, no. (But sure)

                                                There is no real should in this scenario. 

We don't have to be a certain way or another or affix a label on our own psyche. We can simply observe. We can observe the RELATIONSHIP between the stuff around us and how it makes us FEEL. Do you see? Instead of attempting to control or become something that is transient or limiting, we can see how the stuff makes or breaks our daily existence. We can pause with conviction and curiosity. Maybe that little toy elephant on our kitchen counter holds a great deal of meaning. Maybe it brings us fond memories on when and where we got this item. You may FEEL that your stuff is your stuff. That is a good thing. That is how we can be aware on how stuff plays a certain part in our lives. After all, where would we be and how would we FEEL if we lost all of our stuff. Would we still feel like ourselves? Would we be temporarily sad? Would we be consumed with discomfort? Could we still live fruitful lives without the stuff we call our own?

Can the stuff in our lives be barriers or gateways? If they are barriers, why do we hold on it? If they are gateways, where is it taking us?

        THINK of your "stuff" as Mirrors. What if all your stuff was made out of mirror type material? You would also see yourself in it. What would that look like? What would that bring out from ourselves? Imagine seeing your face in one of your favorite pieces of furniture or a knick knack given to you from a friend or relative. Would it make us feel insecure or would it make us feel proud? What would it say about your relationship to your stuff if you don't feel so good when you see your reflection looking right back at you? What would it say if we felt proud about it? There is pleasure and pain in our stuff. All one of the same. Yet we cling on because we think it gives our life meaning. It makes us feel something. But is it really the stuff or is it the illusion or image in our heads that we attach to the physical object?

    At the end of the day it is about what is owning us and not what we think we own. 

        Can STUFF be a master or a servant?

Or...  

                Can we live a fulfilling life where STUFF is not very important at all?

DG