I read this morning that "we hold on to material objects because we think they make us feel secure, when in reality they are cluttering our lives". And a recently overheard conversation about the glamourization of someone because of the SCHTUFF in their possession.

How coincidentally interesting have all this coming at me at the same time as I am looking at decluttering and getting rid of SCHTUFF? But then The Universe, IMHO, pokes and prods you and provides you with the information you need... a reminder to constantly be in the here and now to see the messages at play !

When I moved in with Dave, I had to get rid of much of my material objects of my previous home and life. Not being a homeowner nor an owner of SCHTUFF, was a weird place to be.

And having sold Dave's boat, Illihee II, some more stuff was given away, sold, thrown out. A recurring thread was "I didn't know I had that?" or "what was I keeping this for ?" and for some difficult parting choices and decisions.. "what do I do with this??"

Now that Dave and I are starting to plan our New Life, we are facing the fact that we need to get rid of more SCHTUFF. Another home to be sold, etc. And being minimalist by nature (or so I thought !), I am truly shocked by how much material SCHTUFF we have amassed over the years.

Sitting here at my desk, staring at the many years worth of SCHTUFF that has decorated my space and provided a visual snapshot of "me" to passer-by's.

A recent trip to the store had me looking around at the consumerism surrounding me. Instant. Disposable. Replaceable. Consumerism. The constant need and drive for something that's bigger and better and bolder and brighter.

I suppose that it is true that if our personal space is filled to the brim with SCHTUFF, there is no room for something new to arrive. But what is this need for "something new to arrive" ? To be surrounded by SCHTUFF may keep our physical bodies and emotional thoughts stuck in a past moment of time. Is it our fear of not having, or being without, or having less than that leads us to collect all sorts of SCHTUFF, and in this land of plenty, where does this fear come from? Is it more on a personal level, that if we get rid of the gift, the item, the "thing" that a someone gave us, that we are erasing the memory of that someone, of that event ? Emotional baggage indeed !

I am coming to believe that it is a good thing to learn to have a temporary relationship to objects... this does not diminish the love we have for the person or object, nor does it diminish the memory we hold of the event.

And owning more (or less) SCHTUFF does not make us any better or worse than the person standing next in line for that cup of java. We won't remember that they owned a fancy car, or wore a fancy dress, but we will remember if they smiled at us and said hello, or picked up that change we dropped.

I believe that it's in the ensuing emptiness that the reality of the authentic YOU is revealed. With "nothing", who are we really ?

We make a LIVING by what we get, but we make a LIFE by what we give.

Give from your heart... and let there be love, laughter and joy in all your thoughts and words today.