Storm of Stuff

As I carried the sixth TV from the house to toss on the trash pile, I thought of how much time had been spent earning the money that had been used to buy all of the stuff now rotting in the late summer heat. There were easily over 90 pairs of shoes that were added to the pile of trash, among dressers, couches, bed frames, mattresses, TV stands, kitchen cabinets, papers, pictures and hundreds of articles of clothes.

It was devastating for the family to see all of their stuff being carried out of their flooded home and having to determine what they wanted to try salvage from Tropical Storm Imelda. Ms Tonya, Mr Doug, Ms Maria and DJ were grateful to be safe and repeatedly expressed, “We still have our family and that’s what matters. That’s all we have.” 

This is just a portion of what we pulled out of the home after Tropical Storm/Depression Imelda.

If flood waters rushed into our home in the middle of the night, what of ours would be ruined and lost? A lot. 

Would it be heartbreaking? Yes. 

Would it really matter? Not really. 

We spend a lot of time taking care of the stuff in our home. As a stay-at-home mom, a lot of my time is devoted to cleaning and caring for our home and the things in it. How much better would my time be spent if instead of taking care of the stuff in our home, that time was spent really being with the people living in our home?

I am grateful that our kids value our experiences together more than things accumulated... even if they do ask for new toys and books on a regular basis. I hope I can model gratitude for what we have and help them recognize that things do not bring lasting happiness because I know the desire for more will probably continue to grow as they do.

There is a common meme I've seen over the past couple of years and unfortunately I feel like it is true in our home often:

With less things to take care of, how much extra time would we have? How many more Saturday mornings would we have free to play instead of clean?! What additional memories could we create as a family? With less money spent buying things, how much more financial stability and peace of mind could we have? How much earlier could Allen retire?

Over the past few years I have been reading/listening to a lot of books about minimalism and simplifying, as well as money management books like The Millionaire Next Door, Rich Dad, Poor Dad, etc. With each book I am reminded of what I value, what I am leaving behind and what kind of example I am to those around me, especially my kids.

Having just finished listening to The Year of Less, as I helped muck out homes in Orange County, Texas in the aftermath of Imelda, these two questions ran through my mind:

Am I living amidst a storm of stuff that is drowning out my time, money and energy?

How can I align my use of time, money and energy with what matters most to me?