Stuff Stuff Stuff - Take It or Leave It?

Oh the decisions one must make about their “stuff”. What stuff to take. When, where to put the stuff away upon return. I have been home since Sunday from a five day trip and still have things to put away. Last week I was stressed out about what stuff to take. This week it’s about where the hell to put it. Geez, so much stuff and so many decisions.

First of all there is the stuff in your home, including your clothes. There is the extra stuff that is located somewhere out of your immediate reach yet it still resides within the closets and cupboards. Then there is the stuff that you are done using but have not emotionally detached from, this stuff is generally located in the garage, attic or shed, or in my case what does not fit in my shed, is then relocated to my Mother’s garage. Then there is the vacation, seasonal or recreational stuff such as decorations, camping gear, snow skis, fishing or other sports items. This kind of stuff can be located anywhere. Just stop and think about all of your stuff……

As I was getting ready to leave last week, I remember being so challenged about what to take and what to leave at home. I like to call it SSA = Stuff Separation Anxiety. Let’s start with the entertainment section of my packing. The giant stack of magazine went with. In addition to four library books. Now the logic behind that was, I did not want to be stuck in the woods and NOT have something good to read. So the forty seven magazines were not sufficient and apparently I really can’t judge a book by its cover. So I hauled all of them with me and then I hauled all of them back home. Never peeked into a magazine and never opened a book. Now I still have to put them away. Games included Mad Gab, Kismet, Yahtzee, three packs of cards, Boggle and Trivial Pursuit. First of all the only difference between Kismet and Yahtzee is the color of the dots on the dice. Other than that it is the same damn game. Maybe I thought I would be bored in the wilderness? I had twelve other people with me. We were having a blast visiting and enjoying the environment. Never played one game, I still have to put them all away.

Since there were so many of us traveling we had several conversations about who was bringing what. We were all staying in the same campsite. I knew what everyone was bringing, yet I can’t stand to be without so I took my camp stove, dishes, flatware and pans, of which not one was used. Now I still have to put them away. Food, oh Lord, that could be another entire post. The one thing I do not have left over is wine, but I am proud to report I still had some cheese left over!

Then there were all of the clothing decisions. This brought on stress because I had never been there before. On the other hand I have camped several hundred times, so I am not sure why I thought this would be different. I was gone for five days. I took three jeans, several T-shirts (long, short and mid length sleeves), sweatshirt. At least five pairs of shorts. Two, not one, two swimsuits (just in case I was having a skinny day). That’s right, a “skinny day”! Would that have been from all the cheese, the beer and or the wine? Like I said I have been camping before. Never put either suit on. I put them away, immediately! Nobody that is trying to lose weight wants their swimsuits laying around. I took five baseball hats (red, green, white, tan and black), I cannot even explain the thought behind that.

I packed cots, tent, sleeping bags, you name it and I had it. I am quite confident I could have stayed in the forest for several weeks with the food and supplies I took. However after I touted all my crap to the mountains I still forgot or packed too light on some items. Socks! Yep, I specifically remember putting socks back into my drawer because I was running out of room in my bag. Yes indeed I had two total pairs of socks. They were white when I left and very, very stinky and dirty when I came back. I forgot extra blankets – it was very chilly at night and I was oh so cold the first few nights. I usually take a knit cap to sleep in, however, I also specifically remember putting it back because I had too many hats already! The list goes on and on and on.

I am sure there is a pill for SSA, right? Although, if I would really just get back to the basics and simplify I am confident the symptoms would diminish. I would not have wasted hours of packing and unpacking. Focus on what the trip was about, prepare to enjoy the destination, take only the necessities and literally leave all the crap behind. This can apply to many various kinds of journeys and adventures. We all can get a bit overwhelmed with the stuff around us and then we simply lose our focus amongst the clutter.

NOTE TO SELF: It’s just stuff!