Barbara J. Hamby

Possessions

Looking around me in all the rooms of this apartment, the questions come to mind. Are all these possessions necessary? Were they ever? Do I possess these belongings or do they possess me?

The prospect of sorting and discarding is overwhelming. I need to do it now before I grow any older and more tired and achy. I don’t want to dump the job on my kids who definitely don’t want that burden. I tackled one small dresser drawer last night. One down, I don’t want to know how many to go. Closets, drawers, cupboards, shelves, all full to overflowing.

It’s unbelievable that I’ve accumulated so much when I’ve moved so many times. Some dresser drawers have been moved numerous times without having been sorted through. I’ve told myself it’s time to toss anything I haven’t used and/or or looked at in the last year. Next I have to decide in which direction to toss the stuff—charity organizations, landfills, or ???

I have a strong need to simplify my life. Movement in water is much more comfortable than on floors or sidewalks. So to minimize walking around indoors I need to have a lot less stuff to keep track of. Reducing the quantity of stuff is a major goal for this year.

Finishing memoir stories is the other. They’ve been dragging on a long time.