Ziggy’s Problem . . . Too Much Stuff! March 4, 2013
Posted by nrhatch in Books & Movies, Fiction, Less IS More.comments closed
Ziggy . . . Artwork by Jan Philpot
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 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!
Spirit Lights The Way 