My Stuff
One of the reasons for my sorry blogging slowdown has been the task of selling and moving out of my home.
It started when we decided to look into having a new home built in a new development called Eagle Mountain (west of Lehi, UT). The prices were good, and we can get a home that’s bigger, more wheelchair accessible, and not very much more expensive than the one we’ve lived in for 18+ years.
But the transition has been very difficult. First, we had to do a lot of work on the house to get it ready to sell, including a new roof. Then, we had to list it. Then, we had to start moving our things out of it and into a storage unit. A few things we moved over to my in-law’s house (that’s where we’re living now, until the new one is done this fall), but most of our worldly possessions are packed into a 20x30 storage shed.
And that’s where I’m going with this one today. Because it has been a real eye-opener for me. My own materialism has been really staring me in the face. And it all boils down to this: For about two months, now, I have been living quite comfortably without the thousands of little trinkets, bits, and items that (when I bought them) I could not live without.
And when you think of that, it is quite humbling and more than a little embarrassing.
I did my mission in Honduras. I taught families where their entire home was as big as my living room, and everything they owned (all five or six of them) was in it. And yet, they always bought me a soda or offered me something to eat every time I visited. I taught a family that literally lived in a tent, and another living in a structure they’d built out of cardboard boxes and wood.
I’ve been quite surprised just how easily my kids have lived without all the millions of toys they’ve accumulated over the years. A few Pokemon, a game cube, and some Yu-Gi-Oh cards, and they’re happy. There’s so many things we’ve bought them that got packed away without even a second thought.
It sure makes me think. I hope it changes me for the long run.
MRKH
Mark Hansen
http://markhansenmusic.com
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I’ve been quite surprised just how easily my kids have lived without all the millions of toys they’ve accumulated over the years. A few Pokemon, a game cube, and some Yu-Gi-Oh cards, and they’re happy. There’s so many things we’ve bought them that got packed away without even a second thought.
ReplyDeleteIt sure makes me think. I hope it changes me for the long run.
If you've been thinking, it has changed you.
Hola
ReplyDeleteSoy de Chile y estaba leyendo (o tratando) de leer tu blog.(Mi inglés es malo)
SaludoZ y posteame :)
Just thinking about people who move everything into a few rooms, or a room on wheels.
ReplyDeleteI want to leave so much to my children, but so little of that is "stuff."
Congratulations on the new home! We have very dear friends who moved out to Eagle MT when they left CA years back (hey Connie! hey Dave!) Their daughter and sil also live there. Pretty place to rear children.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the toy/trinket/gadget lay off (both grown up and kidlet).
When you begin to 'decorate' the new digs, it will take on that 'model home'look. Have you ever noticed how clean and clutter free models are? hmmm. something to think about.
Now if you will excuse me, I am going to sort out things to donate. Thanks for the inspiration!