stuff

The owner of our house is returning soon so we are packing again....

a chance to go through our stuff and check whether it all comes with us.

This is certainly one of the benefits in moving a lot; paring down and traveling lighter.

This time around I'm letting go of quite a few of my books. Two boxes full in fact. People who know me know I'm good at moving things on for others to benefit from, but there have been just some books; books I have heaved around this country.

It is time to share them with others.

So as I have been filling boxes, I have been thinking about our

stuff.

......

We generally don't buy it.

We don't have TV, we don't get junk mail, we don't do malls and so we remain free of the constant monologue from advertisers (actually that's relatively "free" since the menace seems to be pretty much everywhere).

We want people; ourselves, our family and our community to bring up our children. We figured a long time ago that we don't want to be competing with massive corperations on a daily basis nor are we any match to their billion dollar budgets and so we choose to keep them out of our lives as much as possible.

The freedom is sweet.

What we buy is usually well thought through, based on need and a resource that others may have an interest in sharing. Better still it's multi-functional. Op shops is where we buy the odd thing just because it's pretty.

We pool resources where we can so as not to carry more than is necessary.

We went without a vaccum for a year when we lived across the road from friends who periodically lent us theirs (we have a wonderful carpet sweeper handed down from my mum for the daily sweep) and we haven't owned a lawnmower for years but borrow one when needed and maintain it while we are at it.

Both these are done through our local timebank which I have written about before here.

This kind of sharing of resources feels good for all involved.

We also try to resist the "just incase" thinking.

This is our most challenging catergory.

Wanting to be open to creative projects, crafty quests and general spontaneous learning, there are always "resources" that can be accumulated "just incase" it can be used in the future. It's not like we have cupboards full - we don't have the cupboard space - but still the clearing is fairly constant.

Fabric and books are my vulnerabilities - old fabric, particularly my Nana's.

I have never missed anything that I have passed onto others.

The books that I have had for years and had been so dear to me at different times of my life are now gone; onto someone else's lap, on someone else's shelf.

I feel relieved as always. I'm happy that someone else is reading them.

And amongst all of this packing, it is spring here.

I feel blessed that she never forgets to return.