My office mate has been going home at lunchtime lately and watching
Hoarders. Then she starts purging - clearing out closets and corners and boxes that were never unpacked. It's become a bit of a hobby for her, and, while I have no desire to watch
Hoarders, I understand the drive for less stuff.
It comes up once in a while around here – the idea (not the
reality) of less stuff. I am owned by stuff more than I own stuff. And it’s a
bit overwhelming. It may be because most of my stuff is partially broken, but I
don’t completely believe that.
I grew up believing that a bigger house and a nicer car and
more shiny stuff were natural pursuits. I’ve spent the last decade getting over that. But I grew up in a DIY family which means that shiny stuff is supposed to start out as non-shiny stuff and you are supposed to shine it up before you can enjoy it. And what I was slow to learn is that it's the shining the stuff up that makes it worthwhile - having shiny stuff is not nearly so satisfying. My biggest project regret is that I focused on the acquiring rather than the building. When you get down to it, a lot of this blog is about seeking new projects in times when I'm not working on projects.
So, in wealthier times I found myself bringing lots of projects home. LOTS of projects. And in the meantime, life has gotten busier. And I'm finding the stuff less and less important compared to the people and the responsibilities.
So, there has been a little progress in the purge:
a few scooters have left
the Mercedes wagon (intended to run on veggie oil)
the old Econoline (intended to be electric and solar powered)
the electric pickup project rolled away (on someone else's trailer)
the garden is much smaller this year
the worn out old Dodge left and was replaced with a used but nicer hybrid (I now drive in luxury!)
There're still things needing to leave:
my high school hotrod
the electric boxster
the Voloci electric cycle
a lot of bicycles
lots of stuff in boxes
Vespa parts
aquariums
And there are projects that I still hope to finish/upgrade
more power/speed for the electric Vespa (28mph is just rough in Lubbock traffic)
the electric pigeon
solar charger in the garage
the electric minibike (which never quite worked)
the electric klunker (which is so close!)
the electric Motobecane (which is so close!)
a functional folding bike for travel
a less messy backyard for family relaxation
better rain capture/utilization
and there are more projects that I want to pursue
solar/battery building (darn you,
Micah Toll!)
learning how to utilize a Raspberry Pi / Arduino
learn to sit quietly without yearning for a phone/tv/music/distraction
But mostly these days, I want to spend time with my wife, the family, the dogs, and the handful of friends that I'm blessed with. I want to spend more time in study, in worship, and in being thankful. And I want to find ways to encourage environmental stewardship. I'll let you know if I get any of it sorted out.
Maybe I need to find a show about project hoarders.
May you get it all figured out and have a wonderful day/year/life!
