Get rid of all that junk!

"The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak."    

~ Hans Hofmann ~

Why do we keep doing it?  I see people everywhere I go, shopping for more and more and more STUFF!  We are drowning in STUFF, barely able to breath from the weight of it all, and yet we continue to buy MORE STUFF.  It just seems that many people have this insatiable need for more, always more.  And oftentimes it doesn't even really matter what it is, it just has to be more . . . . of something.  I wonder if that has anything to do with some of the destruction of so many marriages.  You know, it could be that lots of relationships are destroyed  by greed which leads to spending more money than you have, which leads to serious debt, which leads to incredible financial stress, which leads to conflict in the home.

That's one way that all of this need to accumulate STUFF has affected the lives of many Americans.  Even while some families in our communities are struggling to pay the mortgage and feed their kids, those who are able are still on that elusive, endless, and self-destructive journey to acquire MORE STUFF.  Now, I'm not for "spreading the wealth," because if you earned it, you should be able to keep it.  And, of course, if you WANT to share some of your wealth with the less fortunate, that should be YOUR choice, not a government mandate.  But that's another subject.

It is this madness, this insanity, this nagging emptiness that keeps us constantly yearning for the next "fix" of something more.   And if it isn't more STUFF, it might be more excitement, more action, more adventure, more fun, more entertainment.   Perhaps we are addicted to our own adrenaline.  We need that gut-wrenching, spine-tingling sensation of being just on the edge of disaster . . . . . or chaos . . . . or death.  Some people seem to live for that risky, "what if I get caught," experience.  What if . . . that's such an amazing couple of words.  What if I do this . . . . what will happen?  Maybe it is spending money you don't have to buy STUFF that you don't need and can't afford.  Maybe it is always looking for that next "great adventure" so that your eyes are always focused beyond what is right in front of you.  Perhaps it is always wondering what it would be like with THAT person instead of the one I'm already with.

There are millions of people who are lonely, empty, miserable, and pathetic in their constant clamoring for more and more and more . . . . and never finding satisfaction.  I see it in their eyes, and I see it in the choices that they make in life, and I observe the heartache that it causes to everyone around them.  If we could just learn to appreciate what is right here, right now, in this place, with this person perhaps we could bring a bit of peace and sanity back to our lives.  Of course, that does NOT mean to just sit around and be lazy and never do anything to better our lives.  We should always be striving to grow and learn and become all that we can be.  But that is just the point . . . . when we are always looking for that next adventure, we will never have the time or the energy to focus on making our life better.  As long as we are always needing more of something that really isn't going to make us happy, why not simplify life and get rid of all that extra "junk" that keeps us always yearning for more?

Something to think about this Wednesday!

Comments

[Patricia]

I have enjoyed my visit to your beautiful blog. I wanted to let you know I came across your wonderful pattern for a teacup pincushion at, Yes You Can! I made one and fell madly in love with the concept. I have posted a photo at my blog. Thank you so much for the lovely pattern.