Things...

One tenet that many of the worlds religions have in common is the idea that people should not be attached to material possessions of this world. As much as I like this shared concept, I can't seem to put into practice very well. There is a lot of stuff packed into my living space. It doesn't help much that I come from a long line of packrats. I think I still have, in various locations, every magazine that I've bought or stolen since I was very young. I have small rocks from various parts of the world, strangely enough I remember where I got almost every one of them. In my boxes there are trinkets and tokens from my past, a past that I don't remember until I pull out one of these artifacts and it all comes back. Or at least the moment when I found or received said artifact.

As appealing as the idea of being free of material possessions is, the fact remains that I will never be able to live with just the clothes on my back. And really I don't think I would want to live that way. There is a level of stability that I like, and part of that is clean clothes and a roof over my head. And bathing. I've been to the point where I can smell myself before and I don't like it.

If I were put in the position of the old question of naming the three things I would save from a fire, I don't know what all three would be. I'd guess that two would be my computer stuff and my photos but I don't know what the last one or two would be. Maybe I'm closer than I realize.