Dumping Stuff

Mail comes in. Not all of it is read. Some is questionable as to value. An ad? A donation request? Notice of a new business opening up in town? Or a letter? A letter in fact from someone who has been an infrequent correspondent you have lost touch with over the years. You wonder if you should rekindle the connection. And other papers spewing from the mailbox. What to do with it?

It is placed on a bookcase shelf for temporary storage. Or on the desk top awaiting time to review the material and then decide what to do with it. Or on the kitchen counter, in the top drawer of the desk, kitchen junk drawer, you know where I’m going with this!

Junk and debris everywhere. Some of us can sort through this crap as it enters the house and toss it immediately. Others of the household cannot possibly think and act in this manner. And the dross accumulates until its weight approximates that of a baby come full term. 8 pounds of squirming, unstable, ready to topple pile of junk mail, receipts, ads and bills. And medical insurance reports. And let’s not forget Christmas cards!

In early January there comes a day when rage rises to the surface of polite discourse. “What is this stuff? I say, what is this crap, and why has it been sitting here so long?”

An angry response erupts with ‘this is my stuff, leave it alone, I’ll get to it later.’ Only later never comes, and hasn't before now, either. That’s why there is this towering pile of stuff.

Why do we do this to our self? And to loved ones? Why do we accumulate crap that takes over our lives?

I think it has to do with making decisions, or rather, the dislike of making decisions. The finality of a decision seems to be never fully known. What if I held onto the stuff just a little longer? No harm will follow surely! But the opposite…what if I need the stuff I threw out? I can never retrieve it. Lost forever. What then do I do?

Actually, we don’t have to do anything. Things get lost all the time. Important things. And eventually important matters catch up with us and we get another chance to complete a request, or file a report, or pay a bill, or simply lose out on the value of an ad or coupon. Expiration dates do exist. And they do work.

Another take on this is we should make decisions about the debris in our lives and when the decision is made, a commitment is needed to follow through in specific detail. In other words, commit to do it right! And now! Too many of us just want it all to disappear.

So, the result is a growing pile of papers that should mean something to us but doesn't unless a ticking time bomb is buried in the pile and something important that should be done isn't. Then dire notices, payment due dunnings, and scowls and angry phone calls ensue.  It would be far better if we just agreed upon receipt of the piece of paper to do something about it immediately, or clearly declare a lack of interest in the item and toss it. Either way the pile would be not in evidence. And the consequences might be much less and more digestible.

This may not be a very good New Years Resolution, but it wouldn't hurt to attempt it.  For now, my pile is small. Others’ in the household are large. I’ll press them to take heed!

Happy sorting to you if this one of your resolutions!

January 5, 2015