I got back from South Bend on Friday and have been living with my parents until school starts. I took out the big box of stuff I had with me last year, but didn’t bring to South Bend. Most of the stuff I still don’t want to throw away, even though I haven’t used a lot of it in the last year. There is also a ton of stuff at my parent’s house that I didn’t even bother bringing to Dinkytown, and I don’t want to throw away. This reminds me of an awesome essay by Paul Graham titled “Stuff”:
I first realized the worthlessness of stuff when I lived in Italy for a year. All I took with me was one large backpack of stuff. The rest of my stuff I left in my landlady’s attic back in the US. And you know what? All I missed were some of the books. By the end of the year I couldn’t even remember what else I had stored in that attic.
And yet when I got back I didn’t discard so much as a box of it. Throw away a perfectly good rotary telephone? I might need that one day
“Beware of anything you find yourself describing as ‘perfectly good’”.
2 Comments
A great post / essay to read right in the midst of downsizing and getting ready for the move. Thanks!
\”And you know what? All I missed were some of the books.\”
yeah, my problem is that MOST of my stuff is books. did you know i have four bookshelves in my room, collin? it\’s true! one is in the closet because it doesn\’t fit anywhere else!
now, i probably could get rid of a lot of those books, but the thing is, i don\’t know which ones i\’m going to wish i had in the next few years!
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