NEW STUFF!!! Remember being young and thinking about all the “stuff” you’d one day have? And how about that old saying about how the one with the most toys at death wins? I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately.
When I got
married at the age of 20, I started married life off with most of the “stuff”
my parents had. True, I didn’t own, but rented a little house. I had a washer
and dryer, but no dishwasher. When we eventually bought a house, it was a house
that was better in many ways from the one in which I grew up.
Today, I’m
still living in the house we bought in 1969. I still have a washer and dryer as
well as a dishwasher and a wide variety of other appliances which, with the
exception of the toaster, microwave and Nespresso machines are rarely used.
They take up counter and cupboard space, but I do use them every now and then.
I’ve had the
same furniture for probably fifty years. True, the cushions have been replaced
several times, but the furniture fits the space and continues to be
comfortable. Still, I see the TV ads and wish I could have a new set of
furniture. True, it probably wouldn’t be as well made as the pieces I currently
own, but it would be NEW.
The same
thought process applies to the dishes and pots and pans in the cupboard.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with any of it except I’ve had it forever. The
pots and pans are Belgique or cast iron. The dishes are Fiesta ware and, knock
wood, not a single piece is broken or chipped. I just don’t like the colors any
longer…the new neon-colored collections are gorgeous.
I remember the
excitement of gathering up all my possessions. We didn’t buy the furniture all
at once. We had to buy what we could afford when we could afford it. The same
applies to the cookware…a piece at a time as a birthday or Christmas present.
The Fiesta ware I did buy all at once…the place settings anyway, but the add on
pieces like the butter dish, salt and pepper shakers, etc., were gifted or
purchased on the as I can afford it plan.
Then there’s
the stuff in the closet. I really shouldn’t have to buy another piece of
clothing in my life…okay maybe some new underwear at some point. All the other
clothing is perfectly and fits, more or less. There’s even garments in there I
haven’t put on in several years, but I keep them because I might go on another
cruise or some fun vacation. Probably won’t happen and if it did, surely I
could afford to buy some new items for whatever the trip might be. Still, I
miss those shopping trips I used to take a couple of times a month before I retired.
I’d shop the sales and the marked down sections and was elated every single
time I found something I really liked that was cheap, cheap, cheap. I don’t
even do that any more.
The fact of the matter is I have
absolutely everything I need to last me the remainder of my life. I’d just like
to have new “stuff,” but it’s not a necessity. The opinions of me, myself and I
are that we don’t need anything. All we really want is the elation that would
be brought on by getting the NEW. How
about you, dear reader. Do you want new stuff too?