Ziggy’s Problem . . . Too Much Stuff! March 4, 2013
Posted by nrhatch in Books & Movies, Simplify Your Life, Fiction.Tags: Simplify Your Life, Fiction, Too Much Stuff, Stuff, Ziggy
57 comments
Image: Wikipedia
Ziggy zig-zagged across the floor of his room . . . by necessity, not choice.
He had Too Much Stuff.
His drawers overflowed with Stuff and would no longer close. Shelves sagged from being crammed full of Stuff. The closet bulged with Stuff that spilled into the room.
The floor was covered with so much Stuff that Ziggy could barely reach his bed.
He had Too Much Stuff.
Ziggy galloped to the kitchen and whinnied (using his indoor whinny, of course):
“I have . . . TOO . . . MUCH . . . STUFF!”
Ziggy’s mom, Zelda, looked up from the spinach, carrot, and pea salad she was making and nodded, “Ziggy, I think you are starting to realize that sometimes less is more.”
Now, you might ask, “How can less ever be more?” And your best friend might say, “Less is less, and more is more.” And your next best friend might say, “I’m confused. Saying that less is more doesn’t make any sense.”
Well, let me try to explain.
When we have fewer things, we can appreciate what we have more easily because we don’t always have something else competing for our attention. We can focus on what we have without getting distracted by something else.
Does that make sense?
If it doesn’t make sense yet, maybe it will by the time you finish this book. So, let’s get back to the story . . .
“Well, Ziggy, what should you do about all that Stuff?”
Ziggy . . . Artwork by Jan Philpot
Ziggy looked thoughtful as he pondered his mother’s question.
His forehead got all scrunchy looking, and his ears flared out to the side.
He thought about having Too Much Stuff, and wondered what his mother meant when she said, “sometimes, less is more.”
Zelda waited, giving Ziggy time to think.
After a few minutes, Ziggy’s ears relaxed into their normal upright and locked position. ”Maybe I can sell some Stuff and use the money to buy something I really want.”
He cocked his head to the side to see what his mother thought of the idea.
Zelda smiled, “That’s a zebra-tastic idea, Ziggy! Where will you sell it?”
Ziggy thought a moment more, then his face lit up with a huge grin. “I know, I’ll have a yard sale and sell all the Stuff I don’t play with any more.”
Zelda beamed with pride at her son’s solution to his problem of Too Much Stuff.
“That sounds like an excellent solution to your problem, Ziggy. And you thought of it all by yourself. Good for you.”
Aah . . . that’s better!
Buy Less. Do More. November 8, 2012
Posted by nrhatch in Home & Garden, Life Balance, Simplify Your Life.Tags: buyers remorse, Clutter, Life Lessons, Mindfulness, Simplify, Stuff
44 comments
My life, like most, has had ups and downs, good decisions and bad, and more than my fair share of mistakes and challenges.
But they all led to this door. So, no regrets.
Except one.
When I look at the collective accumulation of stuff in our living space and closets . . . I am filled to overflowing with ”buyer’s remorse.”
Not in specific. Just in general.
If I could go back and tell my younger self or a good friend just one thing, it would be:
Buy Less. Do More.
We travel best when we travel light. The best way to avoid clutter is not to purchase it in the first place.
Aah . . . that’s better!
Related Posts: Tell us something you’ve done that you would advise a friend never to do (WP Prompt) * Woman Found Dead Amid Clutter * CCD: Compulsive Clutter Disorder
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Susanna posted the 8 Finalists from the Halloweensie Contest yesterday morning . . . and I’m in the running!
If you want to vote, click this link and Vote for your Favorite!
They’re all in one place . . . so it’s one stop shopping. No clicking back and forth between blogs. Simple, right? And nothing to clutter up your house! 
Why Do We Keep Stuff? September 13, 2012
Posted by nrhatch in Art & Photography, Mindfulness, People.Tags: Collection, History, Museum, South Florida Museum, Stuff
74 comments
We went to a Think and Drink at the South Florida Museum last night ~
“Why Do We Keep Stuff?”
We left before the conversation really got off the ground (because we had to go home and check on our stuff), but the moderator tossed out lots of good questions for consideration:
What does our STUFF say about us?
Why do Museums curate collections?
Is a Library a Museum?
What can we learn about others from their dishes and pottery shards?
How long should we hang onto relics from the past? Forever?
Most animals in the wild don’t hang on to stuff. Even if they had opposable thumbs to help them “hang on,” they don’t seem to have the need or desire to cart a bunch of stuff around from point A to point B.
They just are as they are. And that’s enough. For them.
What about us? Why are we different? What makes us hang on so tightly to objects that have outlived their usefulness? Why to we have Junk Drawers (and Garages) overflowing with stuff, stuff, and more stuff? With caps missing bottles? And bottles missing caps?
Why do we collect things?
What types of things do we collect? Antiques, Teddy Bears, Diaries, Art, Pottery, Zebras, Paintings, Santas, Cameras, Political Buttons, Cars, Shoes, Clothes, Jewelry, Old Letters, Books, Movies, Music, Baskets, Bowls, Fiesta Ware . . . outdated electronic Gizmos.
When did we start collecting? What makes us expand our collections? Is it the thrill of the hunt for one more trophy? Or something else?
Perhaps it’s the desire to connect the dots from Past to Present to Future?
What say YOU?
Or, better yet, what do YOUR dishes say about YOU?
Related post: Life and the Concept of Clutter (All That Matters)
