I have had the occasion this weekend to be reminded of the fact of just how much stuff my house here on 14th Street contains therein. Friends, I don't have JUST plenty, I have MORE than a plenty. I've watched the reports on CNN, read articles, both online and in our local newspaper, that tell the story of family after family that have lost it all in the recent hurricane. One woman, returning to the burned out neighbourhood that she used to call "home", had returned back just to see if she could find one piece, ONE PIECE, of something should could recognize as her own. When a reporter covering her story managed to locate what appeared to be the remains of a broken dish, the woman held it close to her heart as if it were a long lost family member and she wept.
I joined a site on Facebook called "Help Owego/Apalachin Rebuild" last May before I made my "bucket list" trip to Maine. Owego, NY is a wonderfully beautiful little village that was inundated by the flood waters of the mighty Susquehanna River in September of 2011. After the waters receded and the damage was assessed, the clean up began. Owego residents were determined to get things back in order as quickly as they could. With hard work, they began to reclaim their village again. When I arrived there for a couple days' visit on my way to Maine, I had no idea what I would find. I had heard stories of how bad the flooding was and truly in my mind I imagined that I might find a community where people had just given up. Quite to the contrary, Owego was "open for business" and it was apparent that this little place was not quitting and certainly not surrendering to the effects of the over flowing Susequehanna. Because the folks of Owego and the rest of Tioga County know what it's like to go through a disaster of this nature, they are some of the first ones to be stepping up and volunteering aid and assistance to those affected by Hurricane Sandy. Reading their Facebook page is very heart warming as you see the generous offers of money, materials, and time these folks, barely a year ago the recipients themselves, have given to those who really need it. There are lots of good people in this place we call home, be they New Yorkers or Kansans or from anywhere else in between. A natural disaster might give it a good try, but the bottom line is this~ The remarkable and quite resilient human spirit cannot be squelched~
I reread through some of my bucket list posts from earlier in the year and came across one from February 22nd. I had been reading a lot about the "travelling light" movement and had begun my own quest to see if it was something I should be considering in my life. Although I haven't seriously considered it for several months now, I think I am at the point in time where I will begin to revisit it once more. How much is enough? Will there EVER be enough? What can a person be truly happy with? What could I easily do without if I just allowed myself to let go of it?
Below is that particular post, written 9 months ago now. It was called "The Over My Dead Body List". I'm glad that I wrote it then and equally glad that I reread it today. I have been so blessed, beyond even my wildest of dreams. I hope the same for you my dear friends! It never hurts to get a little "reminder", hey even a "wake up call" as to just how fortunate you really are.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
The "over my dead body" list
Back a couple of months ago, I began to think about this idea of "travelling light" and how it could benefit me and make my life so much easier to manage. I read up on something that my daughter Ursela had told me about, "The 100 Thing Challenge", a movement started a few years back by a man named Dave Bruno. Dave's challenge is for all of us to think about how much stuff we have accumulated over the years and then "pare down" our belongings to the 100 things that we would need and want the most in this life. Now that's quite a challenge, one that many people across the country are trying to do at this very moment.
I love the motto of the "100 thing" movement~
Reduce-Get rid of all the stuff that you really don't need or want.
Refuse-Say "NO" to buying more stuff to replace the stuff that you just got rid of.
Rejigger-Start thinking about your priorities. What's more important in your life? What is that you have to have? What amount will ever be enough?
Being so intrigued by the idea of "downsizing my life", I put the wish to learn how to "travel light" on the "Miller Bucket List" this time. Between now and May 1st, I am going to be trying my best to decide what I have that I can surely live without as well as stuff that will forever be on the "over my dead body" list. And friends, I've already begun!
It all started a couple of nights ago with 4 different sets of kitchen canisters that I own. For the past 3 years they have sat proudly atop the kitchen cabinets for all to see as well as collect a tremendously big amount of dust. They never really did what canister sets are supposed to do, you know hold flour, sugar, salt, etc. I'd have to be a cook/baker for that to be needed and since I'm not, the main job of the canisters was to just "look nice" there. And I guess, for all intents and purposes they did. But it just seemed crazy to me that I had 4 different sets of them that were doing absolutely no good and most certainly were serving no worthy purpose! So it was time to get rid of them. On a whim, I listed them on the Reno County Buy, Sell and Trade site on Facebook and within 1 hour every single one of them was sold and my pockets were $40 richer.
I have to admit that it felt a little weird at first to be taking them down, washing them up, and then giving them to a complete stranger. And for one brief second in time, I panicked and thought "Oh wow, now what am I going to put up in those big empty spots?" But after my good sense returned to me, I realized that it was "OK" for there to be an empty spot, or two, or four. By the next day, I didn't even notice they were missing and got to tell you-It felt kind of nice!
The canisters are just the beginning, as room by room I am trying to determine what are really the most important things to me. Amazingly enough, I've already found many things that made me wonder why I even bought them in the first place. Yet for everything that I find that could be gotten rid of, there are an equal amount of things that will always find their place in Peggy Miller's "over my dead body" pile.
Take my set of 33 1/3 record albums for example....You know, I counted them tonight and came up with this magic number of 72. Sorry, but you kids of today...you don't know what you missed by not growing up in an age where $3.97 would buy you one heck of a record album. They were played on this thing called a "record player" and IF you were really loaded with money as a kid, you might get lucky enough to buy the early day version of a stereo system. I'll never forget my first one...bought for about $20.00 at the local Gibson's store here in Hutch. Had to save a lot of tip money from my job as a waitress at my folk's cafe...but I did. By today's standards, it would be considered a child's toy but to the 16-year old girl that I used to be, it was a piece of Heaven.
I drug all of those albums out tonight from the wooden crate I normally keep them in and took a look back in time to the 1970's. Oh wow, what memories~Jim Croce, Harry Chapin, John Denver, Three Dog Night, the Moody Blues, Santana, the original soundtrack from Woodstock, Joe Cocker, Neil Diamond, James Taylor and my favorite group from all time, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young and so many more. There were albums in that box that I had long ago forgotten and it was kind of fun to at least see their beautiful yet very worn record covers and the inside jackets that the album always fit into. Even though I no longer have any way to play them, there is no way on earth and definitely over my dead body, would I willingly part with them....no matter how much they might be worth to another.
Going through the albums tonight at home with my very favorite album of all time, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young's "Deja Vu". Their music is still very appealing and any song they sang was great. My favorite of all times, "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes".
The 80's found me listening to REO Speedwagon, 38 Special and Phil Collins/Genesis. The 90's, well about the only group I liked from there was Matchbox 20. In 2000 and beyond...hmm, can't rightly recall any group or singer that I liked. For this child of the '70s, there just was no other music that could compare to that of my generation so I guess that means I'm kind of stuck back there in the "land of long ago and so very far away." Hey, not complaining because it would actually be a pretty good place to be stuck in. Memories, inspired by the music, are very precious to me. Would not trade my albums or the memories for all of the money in the world. They are priceless.
I must say, I kind of like this idea of travelling light. Think I could start to get used to it pretty dang quickly. By the way dear friends, each of you out there...you are at the top of the "over my dead body" pile. Wouldn't trade your friendship for anything and I most certainly mean it! :)
Have a great evening my friends...Good Night!
I love the motto of the "100 thing" movement~
Reduce-Get rid of all the stuff that you really don't need or want.
Refuse-Say "NO" to buying more stuff to replace the stuff that you just got rid of.
Rejigger-Start thinking about your priorities. What's more important in your life? What is that you have to have? What amount will ever be enough?
Being so intrigued by the idea of "downsizing my life", I put the wish to learn how to "travel light" on the "Miller Bucket List" this time. Between now and May 1st, I am going to be trying my best to decide what I have that I can surely live without as well as stuff that will forever be on the "over my dead body" list. And friends, I've already begun!
It all started a couple of nights ago with 4 different sets of kitchen canisters that I own. For the past 3 years they have sat proudly atop the kitchen cabinets for all to see as well as collect a tremendously big amount of dust. They never really did what canister sets are supposed to do, you know hold flour, sugar, salt, etc. I'd have to be a cook/baker for that to be needed and since I'm not, the main job of the canisters was to just "look nice" there. And I guess, for all intents and purposes they did. But it just seemed crazy to me that I had 4 different sets of them that were doing absolutely no good and most certainly were serving no worthy purpose! So it was time to get rid of them. On a whim, I listed them on the Reno County Buy, Sell and Trade site on Facebook and within 1 hour every single one of them was sold and my pockets were $40 richer.
I have to admit that it felt a little weird at first to be taking them down, washing them up, and then giving them to a complete stranger. And for one brief second in time, I panicked and thought "Oh wow, now what am I going to put up in those big empty spots?" But after my good sense returned to me, I realized that it was "OK" for there to be an empty spot, or two, or four. By the next day, I didn't even notice they were missing and got to tell you-It felt kind of nice!
The canisters are just the beginning, as room by room I am trying to determine what are really the most important things to me. Amazingly enough, I've already found many things that made me wonder why I even bought them in the first place. Yet for everything that I find that could be gotten rid of, there are an equal amount of things that will always find their place in Peggy Miller's "over my dead body" pile.
Take my set of 33 1/3 record albums for example....You know, I counted them tonight and came up with this magic number of 72. Sorry, but you kids of today...you don't know what you missed by not growing up in an age where $3.97 would buy you one heck of a record album. They were played on this thing called a "record player" and IF you were really loaded with money as a kid, you might get lucky enough to buy the early day version of a stereo system. I'll never forget my first one...bought for about $20.00 at the local Gibson's store here in Hutch. Had to save a lot of tip money from my job as a waitress at my folk's cafe...but I did. By today's standards, it would be considered a child's toy but to the 16-year old girl that I used to be, it was a piece of Heaven.
I drug all of those albums out tonight from the wooden crate I normally keep them in and took a look back in time to the 1970's. Oh wow, what memories~Jim Croce, Harry Chapin, John Denver, Three Dog Night, the Moody Blues, Santana, the original soundtrack from Woodstock, Joe Cocker, Neil Diamond, James Taylor and my favorite group from all time, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young and so many more. There were albums in that box that I had long ago forgotten and it was kind of fun to at least see their beautiful yet very worn record covers and the inside jackets that the album always fit into. Even though I no longer have any way to play them, there is no way on earth and definitely over my dead body, would I willingly part with them....no matter how much they might be worth to another.
The 80's found me listening to REO Speedwagon, 38 Special and Phil Collins/Genesis. The 90's, well about the only group I liked from there was Matchbox 20. In 2000 and beyond...hmm, can't rightly recall any group or singer that I liked. For this child of the '70s, there just was no other music that could compare to that of my generation so I guess that means I'm kind of stuck back there in the "land of long ago and so very far away." Hey, not complaining because it would actually be a pretty good place to be stuck in. Memories, inspired by the music, are very precious to me. Would not trade my albums or the memories for all of the money in the world. They are priceless.
I must say, I kind of like this idea of travelling light. Think I could start to get used to it pretty dang quickly. By the way dear friends, each of you out there...you are at the top of the "over my dead body" pile. Wouldn't trade your friendship for anything and I most certainly mean it! :)
Have a great evening my friends...Good Night!
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