During a recent by my parents to the apartment that Mrs. Geek and I share, my Mom looked around and remarked (more than once) that "you have a lot of stuff". This tended to annoy me a bit after the second or third time she said this. Finally, I said "Mom, I'm 36 years old. Think about all the stuff you had when you were 36 years old." That seemed to put things in a different perspective for her... at least to the point that she didn't comment about it again.
She's right, of course. Mrs. Geek and I do have a lot of stuff. If a Zen-like lack of clutter is what you seek, you will not find peace in our apartment. Most horizontal surfaces are covered with mementos or bric-a-brac of one kind or another. Some of this is because Mrs. Geek and I are too busy too clean as often as we should. Some of it is due to style: Mrs. Geek loves to keep lots of family photos and mementos at hand and I keep the cooking gear and electronic gadgets at hand. Some of it is due to circumstance: we inherited much of the useful contents of house where Mrs. Geek grew up when her Dad sold the place two years ago.
Having lots of stuff has its pluses and minuses though. Being surrounded by familiar things is a comfort, true. They are a pain to move, however... and moving is on my mind. We won't be pulling up stakes right away, mind you. Mrs. Geek and I are thinking that some kind of property purchase is in order in the next year though.
I'm really not looking forward to moving, at least when it comes to the physical act. With all the battling that Mrs. Geek and I have been doing in the "war against boxes" since we met, I am still a little battle weary. I'm not eager to try to pack every damn thing up again when we move... not to mention cleaning out the apartment. Professional movers would be a godsend of course, but buying a house is expensive... and money may be tight.
Until then, I just try to remember to take deep breaths. If we find the right place to live, it will all be worth it. The reality of actually doing that is starting to sink in, however. Big changes are afoot... or will be, in a year's time. Yes, deep breaths. I must remember to take deep breaths.
said drgeek
on 2005-09-28 at 2:57 p.m.
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