Sneaky Stuff

Objects carry meaning for us. We like them when we buy them, but after we have had experiences with them they carry some sort of mystical attachment which we find hard to let go of. We wrap objects with authentic stories. We make objects holy. All this pleasure we get from extending our story into the physical world makes nesting very appealing. I have been nesting in the same place for 6 years and have been attempting to purge over the last couple of weeks. 6 years isn't that long, you'd think. I also think I don't tend to buy lots of things. Yet the bags after bags of trips to the charity store would suggest otherwise.

Some of the stuff has been easier to part with that others. Clothes is one example. I have far more than I need. Some get worn over and over till they really shouldn't be worn any more and others with less attachment sit in the cupboard virtually untouched. These new'ish and not regularly worn shirts were easy to add to the out pile. Less easy were some of my favourites.  One of those is a green and gold Madiba T-Shirt from global teez at the waterfront in Cape Town. There is something about living outside South Africa that makes South Africans wear clothes that identify them as Saffas more. Whatever the reason, I love popping my head into that store whenever I am back to see if anything grabs me. A friend asked me to get him the Madiba shirt but it was never in - so instead he got JouMa. It suited him because he tried to imitate the picture at his wedding after a hockey incident. Unsurprisingly, his wife insisted on false teeth. 

It is time to say goodbye to the T-Shirt. And to a whole bunch of mugs. I am a bit of a memory hoarder. That is fine, but when the memories start mutating into things it can get a little silly. I had a cupboard full of these mugs. This is particularly dangerous when you consider the limitless tidiness challenges I am trying to conquer. Sinks full of mugs, and mugs scattered around the house. Perhaps mugs should be like the highlander. There can be only one.

Friends of mine do a '40 bags in 40 days' purge each year. Each day they need to fill a bag that has to go. The husband gets an embarrassed look when the story gets told saying that he wishes they just didn't collect that much stuff in the first place. They do have an excuse with a houseful of 4 kids but stuff is very very sneaky. We keep a lot just 'in case'. Beyond the price tag, there are also the less obvious hidden costs. Not just the use others could have got from the hoard, but the energy sapping drag it is when you eventually decide to pack up or move!