Jerhanner

I Spent the Day Packing...........

I spent the day packing. No big loss – it would seem that here in New York, the year 2002 is going to be known as “The Year Summer Lasted for Three Days and that was in April for God’s Sake.” The tough part is weeding through the stuff – deciding what goes to the new house, and what gets ix-nayed to the garage sale boxes.

Over the years I’ve accumulated lots of stuff. Candles, books, clothes, kitchen whizmos, camping stuff, etc. When I moved in here back in 1998, I didn’t have much – the ex got the good stuff and I left the rest for the Albanian refugees who were moving into my old apartment. (Seriously – Albanians refugees in Albany.) There I was in my new studio apartment, bereft of belongings, stuck in a bad job, just out of a 4 year relationship. The stuff I DID have was either necessary for survival (pans, chair) or too sentimental to ever throw out. You know, the stuff you’ve carried from apartment to apartment. The t-shirt, the 1996 birthday card, the Pooh, the piece of needlepoint your grandma did in the nursing home… All good stuff, warm from the fond emotions they stir.

People are smart enough to only hold on to what they physically need. Why, then, do they lug around veritable steamer trunks of psychic baggage? When I experience something unpleasant, I choose not to remember it any more than necessary. For example, I remember that dry ice is not good to touch, but I don’t dwell on the agony.

How much of your own unhappiness is caused by stuff you could jettison? I used to dwell on the fact I would never wear a size 12 dress. Then I realized all that angst was rooted in memories of being teased by my 7^th grade classmates. How stupid is that?

Examine your psyche. Can you make yourself happier by simply throwing stuff out? Why not do it? The bad stuff gets in the way of self-esteem, friendships, and harmonious familial relationships. Realize that others can be wrong! Realize that your friends and family are only human! When you can do that, I guarantee you happiness.