Ah, yes, i’ve been lightening ship for ten years and had already given away all my collectibles, all my silverware, almost all of my art, and half my books.
But that was only the start. In the last couple of months i’ve given away my cassette tape collection and the player, my record collection and the player, half of my remaining books, my refrigerator, washer, and drier, several pieces of furniture, and even, gasp, a handful of never used items from my batterie de cuisine.
And i’ve still got too much stuff and am already planning on doing more weeding as i unpack in my new place.
What about all the things i’ve disposed of? Second thoughts? Regrets? Well, yes. One. About ten years ago i gave away the Finca Vigia edition of the Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway and immediately regretted it. Still do although i just checked and found that it’s still in print so i could have it if i wanted it that much.
Other than that, no regrets, partly because i’ve almost always carefully targeted the recipients when i’ve given things away, so everything went to someone who could use it and appreciate it. The main reason, though, is simply that, except for hoarding books, i never really got all that attached to my possessions, so letting go of them, even the books, has been easy.
The bottom line is that not being weighted down by all that stuff gives me an enormous sense of freedom, and i do love that.
Speaking of freedom, here’s some street art. No, not in Ukraine but rather on Market Street.
