Sunday, September 18, 2016

Hello, my name is Janet and I am a consumer...


Yep, I hate to admit, but I do love my stuff. I really try not to love stuff. I see something cool, out-of-the-box different and it has my name all over it. I try my best to stop and think, where will you put it? Do you need it? Don’t you have 12 white shirts just like it? How many lamps does one need? I ask all the rational questions possible, but when I find a treasure irrational and/or unreasonable, it matters not.

So, here I am, moving for the second time in less than three years and downsizing, again. I have spent the last 3 months purging only to have filled 3, yes, I said 3, 16 foot PODS. I have a lot of stuff, but my stuff is awesome. It has taken me years to collect my treasures. My junk has a boat load of memories behind each and every find. My items are like friends and they cannot be easily discarded. Yep, I am an addict and it is time for an intervention.

1+1+1=A ridiculous 3


The last few weeks have been a needed refuge, not only for me, but for the Meabon family as well. Since mid-May, I have been in the process of downsizing, packing and purging. 

The Meabons, on the other hand, have been in the processing of renovating their home. All of this happened simultaneously, and as a result, a two week reprieve to the mountains of Colorado was not only greatly needed, but a necessity for all of us.

We took daily hikes. We went white water rafting. We rode horses. We rode a narrow gage train. We sat by a fire and wore jackets, in August. It was heaven, if only for two short weeks.


I returned to San Antonio…homeless.  My furniture, all three giant PODS full, is in storage and my very small little bungalow is under renovation.  Whaa, whaa…I know, but at almost 62 years old I have spent the last week sleeping on an air mattress, with my dog Lucy by my side. I have no furniture, no refrigerator, very few items of clothing, no food and I’m realizing that being a minimalist is a great way to live. I have no television, my house is full of paint fumes and my back yard looks like a giant mud puddle, as it has been rainy cats and dogs since last Sunday. 

I think I like this new life. I must admit that Friday morning Pod 1 of 3 will be delivered and I’m wishing I had thrown the baby out with the bathwater and begun living life as a total minimalist, having, nor needing almost nothing. 

Oh, I know that once I begin unpacking all the zillions of boxes filled with all my prize possessions I will find the need to find nooks and crannies to house my treasures. As I unwrap and unearth all of my previously stored possessions I will feel the need to find a special home for each and every item…but, until Friday and next Tuesday and the following Friday when all 3 PODS have been emptied, I think I will relish this moment when, perhaps, in another life I might have been a true minimalist.

For what it’s worth,
Janet

1Timothy 6:8 “But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.”

PostScript:  I wrote this piece exactly one month ago but never got around to posting it, as life became ridiculously hectic. Rereading it now, a month later, makes me chuckle. It has been an incredible journey and I am finally coming up for air. There will be a follow up post soon. Stay tuned…