We are moving to Ft. Worth, because I have a FREE RIDE to get my Ph.D. from Texas Christian University, and I am TERRIBLY EXCITED about this. I am not, however, so excited about all this bloody packing we are having to do.
Why do I need all these clothes? I mean, really. Why? As I do each time we move, I go through my things, and I winnow out stuff that I don’t/can’t/won’t wear, and I donate it to various places (sister, daughter, daughter-in-law, then Goodwill, etc.). When we drove to the drop off point at Goodwill the last time, I was appalled. A-FRICKIN-PALLED, people. The amount of junk that we produce as a country is unbelievable. There were stacks and stacks of stuff behind the Goodwill building that they just had not gotten around to bringing inside (or, judging from the ceiling high mountain of clothing) they had no room for it. The place was a barely organized, overflowing, dump of personal goods. What makes us think that it’s a good idea to have this much stuff? We have so much stuff that it’s okay – even necessary – to dispose of the least desired of our stuff like this?
I’m not saying, of course, that Goodwill is bad. It’s not. I’m frustrated with our focus on STUFF. I’m secretly not so upset about the gas prices, to be honest. Nothing is going to change in this country until people are shaken out of their mindless drone mentality, and high gas prices are one way to do that. Just like I think having a draft might bring a speedier resolution to the war – although I would prefer an iron clad draft, one that the silver spoon clutching Senators’ children could not escape.
I think that packing has made me curmudgeonly.
2 comments
Comments feed for this article
June 18, 2008 at 4:55 pm
carolyn
Hi. I found your place after reading your great comment over at Dooce’s. If I had bothered to skim through them I would have seen that someone would mention the book “Skinny Bitch”, but I wrote about it too!
Anyways. Great stuff, both at Dooce’s and here…. I’m sitting here nodding my head in agreement about all the “stuff” we all have. I too am 41, and I guess the things you wrote about really hit home with me.
All the best to you and your family.
Carolyn
June 20, 2008 at 1:49 pm
Morgan
I definitely agree with you. We have way too much stuff. If you haven’t already, check out my link to the Gospel of Consumption.
Also, like you, I think these higher gas prices can help stimulate some changes both on an individual basis as well as our policies. I mean, unless you are living in Iraq, do you honestly need to drive a Hummer? Why don’t American-made cars get higher gas mileage? Why aren’t there more incentives for solar panels and wind turbines?