Trappings

I need to organize our life, my work, all this crap around me in every single room, drawer and on every shelf.  
So much crap and clutter that you hardly notice the Oh-So-Cute-Kid there on the right.

My parents have recently gone through the entire ORDEAL of sorting through their things that were left in storage for more than a year, and selling off or giving away most of it. 
What remained were books, photo albums, some crockery. 
Because my dad is dying from multiple myeloma, this process of shedding all of their earthly belongings has mostly rested on my mother's shoulders.  
Do not underestimate how difficult it is to make a decision on keeping something or letting it go. 

The surprising part however, is how FREE my parents feel from all the material trappings of life.  
This has a good and bad side, I think.

On the one hand, stuff keeps you grounded in your life.
Holding on to all this grounding-stuff keeps you tethered to your existence, involved in the world.
You keep working to buy more stuff to match your existing stuff.

If you cut yourself free from this by getting rid of everything you own - all the things that hold memories - all of a sudden you are liberated from this gravity, and anything is possible.
You could float off into any direction.
It seems scary to me today.

Deep sigh.
After speaking to a friend this week about how she's decluttering her life in order to sell her house, the irritation with our ever-expanding mess has grown significantly.
This weekend I'll have to start clearing all the crap and organizing the remaining rubbish into usable piles and systems.
Trust me, I don't FEEL like it.
Not at all.


.