An Ode to Stuff

I realise this post will seem like a slight (or massive) contradiction with my previous post on Where Treasure Is..  
I have been thinking a lot about the people who lost all of their stuff in the recent bush fires. I spent many days scouring the house for things to donate (yes they are asking that people only give money from now on) and felt good about taking yet more things we don't need here to the op shops who are raising money for the fire victims.


So at the same time as I have been reflecting on what it must be like to lose everything (and some great stuff has been written by others about this: http://signposts02.wordpress.com/2013/10/22/im-a-christian-and-my-house-just-burned-down/) and of how nothing on this earth has true lasting value.. I have been (yes, I hope I can say it without attracting scorn) enjoying sorting through STUFF! Cleaning out one wardrobe has logically lead to tidying up a desk, or a book shelf or a sideboard..and all of this sorting and reorganising is actually one of my favourite tasks - it gives me a chance to discover hidden treasures, and rediscover things that have been overlooked..

Hope that makes sense.  

So here is my ode to stuff, such as it is:
I love bits and pieces.
I cannot lie.
I adore ephemera
Shiny things catch my eye.
I want stuff around me, to have and to hold
I want tangible memories, for when I grow old.
I delight in small pieces
things others would miss
shells, paper and string, ribbons, bags all of this.
It's rubbish to some
I know that for sure
I'm married to one
who wants to see floor.
I try hard to end it 
when it's out of control
I mean to declutter
I need to let go.
Sometimes I can do it
I clean and I spruce 
I bag up the old stuff
and put junk to good use.
I polish dull surfaces
and rearrange china
I move things around
setting new things up, then I
go out to op shops
and find so much more
of treasures and keepsakes
than I ever had before.... 


It's a vicious cycle.
What can I say?

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