Every year it’s the same thing, clean the house for the holidays. But it’s not only for the holidays. I am always cleaning the house, not that it’s unclean, it’s just that I have too much stuff. Stuff is everywhere: magazines, books, shoes, tennis rackets, sweaters, gloves and even stuff that I bought at a garage sale; stuff that nobody else wanted. Why did I think that I needed other people’s unwanted stuff? It’s still good – maybe I’ll need it someday. So what have I been doing with all of this stuff? Mostly stuffing it into the closet with all the other stuff that I have accumulated over the years. And then there is the garage. I have no idea what stuff is in there except for an old tire for a car I no longer own, or the crate of expired car fluids. And then there are additional cartons of other people’s unwanted stuff that I bought, again assuming that it would have value someday. And then there is the attic where cartons of stuff containing the children’s firsts: first shoes, first bib, first pacifier, first bottle, first fork, first spoon, first cup, first saucer and first bowl, remain neatly stacked. In one of those cartons is the little hoody that reads: “If you think I’m cute you should see my mom!” I could never get rid of that! There are cartons containing kindergarten finger paintings, 1st grade drawings, 2nd grade drawings on up through 6th grade clay pencil holders and bowls, junior high mementos and cartons containing all of the children’s brilliant essays, sports trophies, ribbons and commendations. I have categorized this as the Keepsake Stuff. The good stuff! Stuff I will never part with. But then there is the Smith Corona typewriter that collects dust in the corner and the stack of first year and last year issues of magazines that might become valuable or at least be a good source of reference. My favorite high school clothes, like a racoon coat that I paid $25 for or a few pairs of low-rise hip hugger pants hang covered in plastic on a rack in another far corner of the attic. I don’t think the racoon coat will return to fashion but I do believe that one day I will once again fit into my size 3 hip hugger pants. This is the Someday But Most Likely Not Category.
I don’t want to leave out the new stuff. This is a sad story though. One time I lived in this very large house that had big, empty closets begging to be filled with new stuff. But I forced myself to refrain from filling them. I wanted to prolong the excitement. One day a friend was visiting and I bragged about my empty closets, feeling quite impressed with myself. That was a huge mistake. My wide-eyed friend asked if she could store some of her stuff in my big empty closets. Store for how long? “Forever”, she said, and explained that she no longer had any room in her house – she had too much stuff. This developed into an embarrassing dilemma. I wanted to be a good friend but unless you’re having a garage sale, pushing your stuff onto someone else is not a good thing. So I told her no. My friend did not take it well. We had a huge fight and she told me that she never wanted to speak with me again. True story, you can’t make this stuff up!
So now I’m going to get back to my cleaning. When I’m through with that, I have lots of cooking to do. Thanksgiving is fast approaching and I want to try out my new recipe for stuffing. And this year I’ve vowed not to eat too much and get overstuffed. Save room for dessert. But it’s not over yet. When the cooking and cleaning are done, there is still a lot of other stuff to do around the house, like mow the lawn, fix the roof, weed the garden and then purchase a new couch to replace the one that my two cavalier cats ruthlessly clawed Cats do that but to watch the two of them toss around the stuffing that falls from the couch as if they were playing football leaves me to wonder if I should provide that entertainment for YouTube or get a dog.
I admit I have a lot to do but I’m not worried. I always manage to get everything done in time. However, right now, I’m feeling a little stuffy so I hope that I’m not coming down with a cold. Maybe I’m allergic to cats.
(c) 2012 Linda Stone Cohen All Rights Reserved
Remember that no amount of money can purchase grace, wisdom and humility. Until tomorrow…
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