Why do we have the stuff we have? What does our stuff say about us? Does our stuff have any value, any character beyond its stuffy-ness, or does its existence have value only because of our own existence? Would Jack Handey or George Carlin have to say about this stuff?
We have a lot of stuff. Some day that stuff will have to move on. Our relationship with it will be severed, and some new relationships will be established. For some stuff it will be a relationship with friends and relatives. Charities may become involved. Some may find its way onto a barge or bale moving to a needy country. For some perhaps the curb, and the landfill for others.
Our exterior stuff is a reflection of our interior character. We dress the way we do because of the image we want to project. Our furniture also reflects this image. The couch is about comfort, yes, but also about style. It fits with the room that is painted in the color that frames the paintings that show how we appreciate abstract constructs that support the image that we are smart and sophisticated. Cars, houses, boats, they all say something about who we think are, who we want to be and what we believe is important.
Our stuff also gives us pleasure and comfort. Our things engender feelings of pride and satisfaction. They trigger introspection and memories. They help us do things we enjoy. They feel, smell and taste good. These are all attributes of a meaningful existence that we do not want to lose of as we age. The necessity of cutting back on our things is complicated.
We are beginning to assess the disposition of our stuff. Our stuff means something to us. We do not want to leave it to the guy with the pickup truck who comes to clean out the garbage in the house the day after we die so our executor can sell the house. Being childless, we do not have the option of letting them settle any stuff-related issues when we are gone. We want to identify proper homes for our stuff now, while we can.
Disposition of these items will require thought. As we age and our horizons move closer, it is important to not strip our lives of all their meaning. Here is one advantage we childless have - if we are careful, we can control our environment, rather than have it imposed by the will of others who will impose what stuff we can afford to carry with us and what must be left behind. We are starting to winnow down our stuff now, in an organized manner while in full control of our faculties. For example, I can anticipate now that the enlarged high school graduation picture of herself will stay with me to the end, but the effort of retaining the framed graph of Napoleon's March to Moscow by Charles Joseph Minard will at some point become too much to bear. I have reconciled myself to parting with it at some point. The framed CPA certificate will be worth nothing to anyone and will soon make nice kindling for the fireplace.
Utility Stuff Strategy: Be realistic about when you no longer need it, and get rid of it.
Much of the artful stuff will also likely find a home easily. Paintings and posters remain interesting. Rare restaurant plates, hand crafted glassware, figurines (why do we collect figurines?), hurricane lamps. We are not so unique that someone else will not have the same taste in decorative stuff (the disposition of the collection of animal-shaped creamers may be a little more problematic). We find all these things pleasant. Looking at them brings pleasure and fond memories. Some more than others, some more for her than for him. Some we keep because they were gifts and to dispose would be to offend.
And books. Oh, BOOKS! We have hundreds of them. Fiction, biography, history, instructional, referential and reverential. Humor. Plants. How to build a deck. How to install Windows 2.0. Some books we keep because we want to read them again. Some because they contain gems of wisdom to which we wish to have future access. And some we keep just because they were great, and it is comforting to give them a glance and remember the stories. When space no longer permits retention, call your local library. They are always looking for used books to sell at the annual Book Fair. They may even add one or two rare ones to their collections.
Artful Stuff Strategy: Keep it while it gives pleasure, but internalize the concept
of gradually letting go. Don't let it become junk.
Historical stuff consists of:
- Pictures of us, family, friends, places.
- Memorabilia of events. (programs, song lyrics, tchotchkes)
- Memorabilia of activities. (charts, maps, log books, journals)
- Personal historical documents. (expired passports, birth certificates, awards)
- Family historical documents. (parental records such as death certificates, photos, geneologies)
- Business and financial documents. (bank statements, tax returns)
- Personal documents. (birth certificates, etc.)
- Things of value (Redwood Library stock certificate, coin collections).
- Crap. (pretty much all of the above)
Memorabilia and personal documents: same as pictures. No one will want them. Strategy: look at them once in a while, keep them as long as they give you pleasure and you have room, but at some point pitch them. Think of it this way: That stuff represents things we did in the past. We are in the NOW. We are creating NEW memories, and that is more important than dusty old past memories.
We have a lot of family historical documents. They include: a family geneology that goes back to the 1500's; old photos from when our parents were married, our siblings were young and our extensive family (Mennonite farmers from Kansas) was close-knit. Some of this might have value to a historical society somewhere, or some younger family members from another branch (my branch ends with me). We might box them up and send them to the church back home and let the cousins et al pick through them. We will keep it as long as we find it interesting and entertaining. But, again, we do not want all that history cluttering up what future we have left. "Scrape 'em off, Claire!" (-Bill Murray, Scroodged)
Historical Stuff Strategy: Find homes for it early and let it go.
Business and financial documents: keep a list of recommended retention dates and every January go through them and shred (do not just pitch, but shred) the old ones. Make this one of the good habits you carry with you. Start now. Google Records Retention to find many links with helpful information. It is not complicated. Here are two such links:
http://www.shred-corp.com/guidlines.pdf
http://www.pncpa.com/Pdfs/RecordsRetentionSchIndividuals.pdf
Business and Financial Documents Strategy: Shred, don't dump.
Personal documents: Stash them in a safe deposit box for security. Your executor and whoever writes your obituary may need them. Let them worry about ultimate disposition.
Personal Documents Strategy: Keep 'em.
Things of value: There are a couple of ways to handle this stuff, but both require you to figure out who you want to eventually have them. You can put them in a box, seal the box, and put a mailing label on it for the intended recipient. Or you can identify them in your will. I like the box route, because at some point this stuff will just get in the way. Get ready to distribute the treasure, and then do it while you can still control the process. Who knows, if the recipient is pleasantly surprised by your generosity, maybe they will visit and change your diaper each week.
Things of Value Strategy: Controlled distribution.
As for the rest of the crap:
Crap Strategy: You Know!
Michael
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