2008-02-17

Accumulation

In the midst of moving I've noticed that I have quite a load of junk, yet strangely I own nothing of significance or value. The Deuce and Chris also realized this as they helped me today.

Now given I had lived in the last apartment for the past three years and things tend to pile up over time, but... I don't even care for the things that I continue to maintain...um...almost.

Here's a short list of what consumes my closet, under my bed, currently on my floor and some still back at my old apartment:
  • Boxes and boxes of baseball cards and collectibles.
  • Boxes and boxes and boxes of Spider-Man comics, as well as a few less important superheroes.
  • CD and CD cases. I haven't made the complete change to everything digital. I like having a physical copy on hand.
  • DVD's. I even recently reduced what I have by a third and I still had multiple boxes to haul around.
  • Books. My favorite possessions quite possible. The Deuce and Chris, I think, resent me now. I must confess that while the actual physical moving of these is tough I love the re-organizing of the books on the shelf. I get to decide how I'm going to arrange them again. By author. By subject. Will paperbacks mingle with hardcover? The possibilities are endless.
I'm not sure why I keep some of this stuff. None of it will accumulate value and pay for a future child's college tuition. Collectors and dealers have ruined the pure joy of most of it. I don't have the space for all of it. So why store it?
But I can't get rid of it.

My friend Rachel believes that when I someday marry, my wife will subtly get rid of things for me.
[To that future wife] "Why would you do this? Why do you already hate me?"

Actually I really want to be free from all these things. I'd love to be able to move on a whim again. To pick up one day, travel several states away or across an ocean without feeling like I've left something behind.

So if you would come by and pick up one of the above collections and promise to provide a good home for them, where they will be loved and treasured...then come on over...it's yours.

If you hurry I won't even have to unpack it.

5 comments:

Allison said...

How nerdy am I if I hope you send me the comic books? Not that I have any place for them, but I would be interested in reading them...mostly Superman (though I know that's an argument waiting to happen).

Julie Hibbard said...

For the love of God--keep all your books and anything that is truly meaningful. And, I disagree--no woman will ever make you part with something that is dear to you. If she does, part with her instead.
My books have survived FOUR moves in the last three years. Boxes and boxes of them. They are (hopefully) now in their resting place. I know Allison agrees with this. Books are very dear to us.
I have my Bobby Sherman lunchpail, my Steve Garvey bobblehead and my 8th grade bowling trophy--and more. These are things that I would not dream of parting with. Things that still make my heart happy.
You know what you truly like and what you can live without. But YOU decide TS. No one else knows what makes your heart beat. It might just be that Mike Piazza rookie card. I wouldn't give that away for anything.

Shayla said...

She called you TS, did you see that? I did, I thought it was very significant.

Anyway, I agree with this wise woman above me, if your wife truly loves you she won't make you give up anything you have a passion for, she'll just probably suggest that you find a better use for them or offer a practical form of storage for the "stuff."

If I were you I'd take some of your favorite comics and put them in frames or something. It's like a keepsake, and who knows, maybe it'll be worth something some day...

TSHarrison said...

I'm sure glad that others are concerned about my stuff.
FYI, I'm keeping my things, unless someone can honestly demonstrate that they would care and treasure these things.
What you cannot have is my Bible, my journals, my signed Nolan Ryan baseball, or my Mark Buchanan books.

NoBadDaysCourtney said...

wow...don't ever part with your baseball card collection...if your future wife gets rid of them....get rid of her.