Canada's British Columbia

how much is too much?

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During these strange times, instead of hiking through forests where the pathways are narrow, I’ve been exploring my neighbourhood. Even though it’s not as enjoyable, I can cross the road to keep my physical distance and I’ve discovered something about some people in my area.

Shivya Nath, the Shooting Star, once blogged that she had survived for years on the contents on two suitcases. I often think of her lifestyle on my exercise route when I pass multi-level houses with triple garages where still the cars are parked in the driveway and on the street. Why aren’t they keeping their cars in their garages, I used to wonder?

Only too often, I’ve witnessed these huge houses with their garage doors rolled up to discover they are packed with possessions. Why do some people have so much that they can’t fit it into their house? Are they like a neighbour I once had who grew up with a father who even sold their kitchen table to pay his gambling debts and now she has to buy, buy, buy? Or is it that they can’t resist what they believe to be a bargain?

I noticed one of the properties I often pass had a container out front. I thought it was temporary, but a couple of months have passed and it’s still there and I can only shake my head.

I’m someone who hates clutter, and I don’t keep anything I don’t use. Still I believe I own a lot of possessions, but I find — way too much — hard to understand. Perhaps someone can enlighten me.

2 thoughts on “how much is too much?”

  1. Part of it has to do with household projects, indoors and out. You start something, realize you don’t have the tools or supplies, go out and buy them. Then a couple years later, you start another project and realize you need more tools. With us, we accumulated kids’ toys and bikes and other things over the years, which we eventually cleared out and gave away. Now, I’ve got a lot of my mom’s furniture filling up a spare bedroom, which my son will take when he moves out. We’re starting a big purge this year, going through bins of the kids’ schoolwork, etc. as we plan to downsize in 2-3 years. It’s a never-ending cycle, it seems.

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  2. Shivya’s lifestyle is probably not for everyone, but this boggles the mind. I used to associate age with wisdom, but I know too many older people who will not give up or give away the stuff spilling out of their homes. Not even in these difficult times when there are enough needy people who’ll likely benefit from it.

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