tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318801159753696568.post1309143312831744236..comments2024-01-01T10:05:13.685-05:00Comments on YOUR DAILY DOSE: Do You Own Things Or Do They Own You?Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14932408372240147454noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318801159753696568.post-67699735661436540332012-10-10T12:01:00.953-04:002012-10-10T12:01:00.953-04:00Love the post and I am happiest when we have famil...Love the post and I am happiest when we have family get togethers. Gossip_Grlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06603645371306284338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318801159753696568.post-48826653828310193472012-10-09T22:20:05.693-04:002012-10-09T22:20:05.693-04:00When was I the happiest? Hmmm... I think, when my ...When was I the happiest? Hmmm... I think, when my kids were little. I've been sorting through possessions here lately, trying to cull my guitar herd.<br /><br />I want to get back to 'less' stuff.<br /><br />Stuff weighs us down.<br /><br />~shoes~Red Shoeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01919277206516592912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318801159753696568.post-36319550876793095042012-10-09T15:59:34.526-04:002012-10-09T15:59:34.526-04:00Great decision to dump the old stuff. We have move...Great decision to dump the old stuff. We have moved over thirty times, each time taking only the necessities. It keeps us alive. I do not own anything, nor do things own me. Keep us posted.JJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14692103477055483000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318801159753696568.post-61294068084471153052012-10-08T12:09:35.796-04:002012-10-08T12:09:35.796-04:00I am truly happy with experiences. The memories a...I am truly happy with experiences. The memories are so strong and I don't have to lug stuff around to help me to remember. <br />This past couple of years as I have truly pared down in preparation for a cross country move I have enjoyed being free of a lot of things and have been more clear about which items I truly do enjoy owning.<br />As a kid, my world went from moving 16 times in my first 9 years and actually owning very little to living in a home that turned into a large hoard over about 5 years time. I have seen both sides of this issue and can say that while it can be hard to feel grounded when you seemingly have nothing, it can be even worse when 'stuff' seems to be suffocating your very existence. As with most things it's all about balance, isn't it?'Yellow Rose' Jasminehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12496382898548158316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318801159753696568.post-15357047999887849032012-10-08T09:54:09.143-04:002012-10-08T09:54:09.143-04:00Having been a nomad for most of the year before th...Having been a nomad for most of the year before this past one, I learned a very important lesson about whether I own things or they own me. I had seasonal clothes with me at most of the places I stayed. My books - including beloved cookbooks - were in boxes I couldn't readily access. I couldn't use my own dishes or cookware at the apartment of a friend who keeps kosher. It was a stressful time, but a valuable one. I learned which items really, really matter - the books/cookbooks, the clothes/jewelry that show my style (or lack thereof!), and family pictures. That's pretty much it. Passion, basic necessity, sentiment. So your old college clothes definitely count in that! And it's surprising to find what we really don't need, or even want, when faced with the decision ....Yenta Maryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06573241381406620036noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318801159753696568.post-75947263582561678642012-10-07T23:21:01.511-04:002012-10-07T23:21:01.511-04:00Happiness tends to come when we stop worrying abou...Happiness tends to come when we stop worrying about the things we can't control and holding on to things as if they are talismans that hold the memories. The memories reside within. It doesn't make it easier to part with things, even with knowing that...because essentially it means letting go of the physical remnants of the past...and that can be especially difficult if the past was a happier time. Having hope that happier times are in the future is a good insurance policy against clutter. Think of this as making room for new things, not getting rid of old ones. Christinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13708815560712267698noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318801159753696568.post-21151396256696380222012-10-07T00:49:02.975-04:002012-10-07T00:49:02.975-04:00first time visiting/commenting on your blog. Good ...first time visiting/commenting on your blog. Good luck with your move! Wise idea not to take everything with you and to downsize and declutter before you move. <br /><br />To answer your question posed at the end of your blog, I can tell you I have been miserable this past 20 months living in hubby's parents' home (they have subsequently passed but we moved in here before they passed, amongst their abundance of stuff while they were in assisted living). Living in clutter with no space to move around or barely a path to walk was not my idea of fun. Slowly but surely we are reducing things and have gotten rid of, sold, or given away over 20,000 pounds of things of theirs. I'm definitely happier being with less. Conversely when we moved from Montana back to Southern California six years ago, we moved 6600 pounds of things and I thought that was too much. <br /><br />And I agree that happiness comes from within. Hubby's parents needed their things; their things defined them, their status among their friends, etc. That to me was so sad about it all. They couldn't bear to part with things and it did cause a very big strain on my and hubby's relationship and marriage. <br /><br />Again, good luck with your move!<br /><br />bettybettyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06323135450742337670noreply@blogger.com