Where Did All This Stuff Come From:

I've been doing some cleaning around the condo. That's what I do when I don't really want to do the homework I should be doing. I have an annotated bibliography due a week from Monday, a 2-3 page response paper due before November 16th, and a final paper of a "significant" length due by November 23rd. So while I've been pondering what to do my final paper on (I'm leaning toward Dante, but not sure exactly which direction to take) and looking up potential articles for my biblio, I've been cleaning. And like everytime I do some massive cleaning I get overwhelmed by all the "stuff" I have.

This time I've been going through my books. I love my new Ikea bookcase and have been sorting through my books to organize them. I've pulled out a couple hundred books (I think) to read and then sell. And I've walked past piles of other things that have gotten left undone. There's a lot of stuff in our lives that when we're honest with ourselves we can admit we don't really need.

In these tough economic times, people have cut back and changed their buying habits. But as a result many businesses are having a tough time and laying off more people. Why does our life, our very society, revolve around buying things we don't really need?

So I'm going to try -- I admit I may not succeed -- to simplify my life, to empty my life of unnecessary things that hold me back, and tie me down. Into this life then I can bring someone, not something, that I can love and care for and treasure more than any possession. I can bring a little four footed sweetie into my life and blog about her and her antics rather than feel tied down by my "stuff."