Too Much Stuff

 

There is a web site that is probably national, maybe even international, called Nextdoor.  I think of it more accurately as KarensNextdoor, or something along those lines, because it is certainly chockful of posts from worried citizens warning their neighbors about suspicious cars in the area, or suspicious people, and missing or wandering dogs or cats.  And, of course, it is already dominated by paid advertising, so you have to click a lot of links to actually see your neighbors’ posts.

Lately, I have seen a number of posts bemoaning or reporting stolen cars or personal possessions being stolen from parked cars, either on the street in front of somebody’s home, or even in their driveway.

These posts, about cars and possessions being stolen, remind me of a few other things.  First of all, of course we have all heard, seen, and read, long and long ago, that we should not leave personal possessions in sight in our cars, and we should always lock our cars, and like that, right?  So, my first questions are these:  Was your car locked? Were your possessions in sight?

But my next questions are like, why was your car parked outdoors?  Why was it on the street?  Because, you see, my observation over the last twenty or thirty years is that new homes are built with garages, but for some reason, most folks don’t bother to use their very convenient and safe garages.  Why?  Because, all too often their garages are full of stuff.  Too much stuff.

Now, we’ve all heard all there is to know about decluttering, such as go through all your stuff, and pick each item up one by one.  If it gives you joy, keep it; if not, toss it.  Or, better, go through all your stuff, wherever it may be, in the junk drawer, in the garage, in the storage shed, wherever.  If you find an item that you have not touched or used or needed within the past six months, toss it.  But, none of us can do this, can we?

So, the next thing to try is to consider all your stuff, say all of that stuff crammed into your garage.  Is it worth more to you than your car?  After all, it is just stuff, and your car is so much more.  What deserves to be in the garage?  Your very valuable car, or your stuff?

I’m betting, if we’re honest, the only thing that belongs in the garage is your car.  I know that we have a lot of stuff around our house.  Hell, I can’t get into most of the closets because of all the stuff my wife has crammed into them.  But you know what?  Both of our cars are in the garage all night, every night.  Along with a lot of stuff, including the washer and the dryer!

In short, my best recommendation to alla y'all is to use your garage as per design, and let's stop trying to keep so much stuff!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBYVRERVf8Q