Finding a Balance

Note: I still have no Internet access at home, but that may change before week's end.

It’s been 12 days and the apartment has been a good thing, though it’s taking time to get used to being alone. Still, I’ve had time to think, pray, and meditate in my quiet surroundings. No one to tiptoe around in case they’re in a foul mood, and more importantly, no orders to vacate. There is the lease.

While the unpacking is going well I have to wonder if the “things” surrounding us are really our possessions, or if they possess us. Coincidentally, I’m attending a 4 part series on “a balanced Life” at church and it’s been fascinating to note the parallels between the material we’re covering in the group and the personal epiphanies I’ve experienced.

What do I really need to get through life? Conversations with a few folks (outside the church group) this week begged that very question. These are people who are downsizing because they want to, or out of necessity. There is something to be said for “simplifying” one’s life.

Just such a life is lead by the friend I stayed with while waiting to move to the apartment. Simple, open space, and efficient furnishings. Excess “stuff” was nowhere to be found. The atmosphere was elegant, light and peaceful. Isn’t that all one needs?

Many of the items in storage right now, haven’t been used in months, even years. I’m pretty sure I can get along without every one of them. Things are nice, but they’re just that…things. Sure, we purchase things to bring us pleasure or joy, and sometimes simply to impress. However, there are things we don’t need to store ourselves.

Way too many books was one observation by everyone in the group. (Many of these will be available at the next book sale at the library.)

Personally, the joy experienced viewing a favourite film on DVD is well worth the storage space, and weigh much less. Some might say that Blockbuster is as convenient as a library and that may be true. But I purchase films that will be viewed repeatedly. One might rent “The 40 Year Old Virgin” (not I) but one may want to own “Judgment at Nuremberg”, “Walkabout”, “Citizen Kane” or an Astaire/Rogers collection. These give many hours of enjoyment, especially if you love classic film, and are not likely to be found in that chain store.

There are boxes of photo albums from the defunct 30-year relationship, but should they be kept anymore? Sure, they are reminders of happy times, except those times are past. A reader of this blog wrote privately that the first thing discarded after his breakup was the photo albums.

Living life in the present may be much simpler without so many things cluttering it up, gathering dust, and in this case costing money in a rented storage unit.

How much, if anything, is the past worth, except as a teaching tool? It can’t be altered. We are changed by the events of our past and (hopefully) learn from them.

Example: as a collector of long-playing vinyl records since childhood there were a few thousand by the time CDs came along. Still many of the favorites were not released on CD at the time, so the records were still played and enjoyed. When we switched over to the new medium, we still kept the collection. When we moved to the beach they went into storage and when we moved into the house in 2000, they went into the garage where they remained until this spring as we were moving out and realized there was no place for them. They were left behind and what became of them is unknown. A dumpster, possibly. Some of them are sorely missed because they were rare and have never been re-issued on CD, but still life is easier without them.

Why is it so hard to let go of things, I wonder? There is that cliché that “the one who dies with the most stuff, wins.” One has to wonder if it was the stress of looking after all that stuff caused the death in the first place. It will take some time to sort this out and decide if there is a storage unit sale in the future.

If you have any ideas or insights, please feel free to leave them in comments.

More later.

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