A few months ago I felt like I hit a wall. I felt stuck and wanted to shake things up.
My instinct was to get things started by setting myself free of my belongings. To cut all the material items I have collected over the years down to two suitcases.
To keep only what I could carry. To release myself from the history of it all.
Don’t get me wrong I love beautiful things. I love art and I appreciate luxury but do I need it? No. At least not as much as I needed a shake up.
With only two suit cases, I can live anywhere I choose without worrying about storing my things or having someone else take care of them. Nor do I need much space.
As I began to sort through my things and rid myself of various belongings, I could see the emotions and habits that were somehow tied to them.
I was letting go of the past and calling in the new.
Three things became very clear to me whilst sorting through my belongings. First, how I had created strong walls against allowing a romantic relationship to enter my life. Second, my lack of commitment to choices and third, I hadn’t yet embraced my need for constant change.
I have always punished myself for not being able to stand still. I hadn’t been looking at it as moving forward.
I haven’t been able to choose where I want to be and truly make a life there. I have always had one foot out the door. Ready to move on to the next place in the blink of an eye.
Top Comments
To Imogen, I randomly have these feeling of shedding my 'things' and shaving my head- it is just a calling to be closer to the spiritual beings we really are (who are just having a physical experience) rather than the other way around
I shed some tears and really felt the loving message you are putting out there. Good lesson x
There is a whole philosophy behind this...
I've heard of a condition that Indigenous Australians have referred to called 'stuff sickness' over our accumulation of and attachment to possessions, or "stuff", that go beyond basic utility...
Here are some words that kind of reflect on that, and which I found by Googling
(Note: these are not my words, so apologies if any words are offensive here - I just cut & pasted)...
"by Mike Garten, IDSA: I recently read a book by the novelist, Bruce Chatwin called “The Songlines.” Part fiction, part non-fiction, Chatwin describes how indigenous Australians... Being traditionally nomadic, have also historically had very few possessions. And the possessions they did have were often highly utilitarian, and held cultural, even spiritual importance. In fact, having too many possessions was viewed negatively.
So how does a 25 year-old book about an ancient culture have relevance in our hyper-connected, recession-tossed world today?
Like the Aboriginals, we can travel across a terrain with which we have no previous experience and connect with people we have never met, but with whom we share a common bond or interest. And though we rely on technology instead of song, we make these connections through invisible, networked pathways that are surprisingly similar in concept to Aboriginal songlines. The difference is that in our modern, virtual world it’s the digital rather than physical tribe that provides a sense of community.
Another area of relevance is our relationship to possessions. As we reassess our needs in the aftermath of the Great Recession, we focus on those objects that truly bring meaning into our lives and jettison the rest. These can be as simple as a childhood pocketknife, or as complex as mobile devices like the iPhone and iPad. In each case, they have a utilitarian purpose, but we connect to them in ways that transcend utility, often imbuing meaning that is usually reserved for interpersonal relationships.
After having gorged on the excesses of the past decade, people are less interested in acquiring more stuff and more interested in relationships and community. It’s not about the product or the technology as much as how those products or technologies enhance our sense of community. Companies that understand this will thrive. Those that don’t will quickly become irrelevant."