On Fire

Pretty incredible pictures and even more incredible observations on how we love to collect ’stuff’ even though in an emergency it is not what we try to save. My Ex has a t-short that reads “He who dies with the most stuff wins.” And I always wondered what the heck does that really mean? You can’t take it with you and most likely you probably would not want to really.

I remember that when I was growing up I did not have a lot of stuff and it was actually very freeing and extremely easy to pack up and move. Now when I just look at all of the books and videos that I own …more than I could ever read or some I no longer care about … it just brings home the point again. Time to simplify and selectify (ok I made that word up :O) Thanks again for your thoughtful posts.

I couldn’t agree more with the big fat point of this entry. I’m no happier then when spending 10 days in the Canadian wild with only what I can pack in. Then again, when I return, I have a brand new appreciation for the “things” I own.

This a point that all should consider even without the danger of an emergency. An emergency only makes us realize how important some things are versus others but the point that we cant take it with us is the true so LIVE TO GIVE. I will keep you and your family in my prayers as you deal with the catastrophe.

Mass hypnosis. That’s how it is done. Gets our mind off the important people and things in our lives! Then we are jarred out of it with a disaster like this. The big question is, how do they keep re-hypnotizing us. I just don’t get it! (LOL!)

Obviously, we do it to ourselves. The amazing thing is how short our memories can be. Waiting for the second shoe to drop must scares us out of common sense into our own dopey sense of what’s important. Will we ever learn? I think so. In the meantime, what’s the cost going to be? Till then, my advice - keep a sense of humor. ;0)

Having just moved into our house that we both feel great attachment toward because of the year and half work that we have put into its renovation, I am sitting surrounded by boxes that have just come out of a 3 year storage. I haven’t missed the things in boxes and strangely am not eager to unpack. I feel burdened by their presence but do know that some of the contents will help to turn the empty rooms into attractive, functional spaces. I also know that a lot of the contents, if kept, will become dust magnets and time absorbers. So, I am doing inner work on mustering the determination to let a whole lot go. Being a 3 time cancer survivor, I have had the experience of learning what’s valuable in my world. The problem is retainin that knowledge once the crisis has passed.

The times when I felt the best was when my family first emigrated to the U.S. in the late 1970s. As most remember, there were difficult economic times back then. We didn’t have much but we always had each other. As the years went along, we melded ourselves into the typical lifestyle of consumption because that’s what everyone else did. Looking back on those times now, I realize that there isn’t much that truly does matter. “Stuff” comes and goes with hurricanes, fires, tornadoes and other natural disasters. People don’t. I’m hopeful that the current calamity in southern California will bind us all together as human beings first and foremost and make us realize that the only thing we need is each other in order to improve our world. The rest is just stuff that will turn into dust in the wind.

I so very much want to thank you for this courageous message on the fire and the “stuff”. Last year I felt strongly guided to give up most of my stuff - when my apt. building in SF was bought by a huge conglomerate and we “tenants” were bought out. I took it as a God Wink and gave away most of my possessions and emigrated to Hawaii with two suitcases and a dream. I have not been this happy since I was a college kid in the Peace Corps. The stuff doesn’t matter at all - because it IS just “matter” and Quantum Physics has now proven that matter doesn’t really exist. Our Hawaiian prayers are with you guys. Our islands were once the now mostly submerged continent of Lemuuria - so we know that “things DO go on”. Life triumphs !!! God Bless !!!