Journal Entry (Monday February 20, 2023)
There are those that say you can’t have too many toys, but there is a practical limit for most people. The question is how to discover where the boundary on that limit lies. I may have reached it. When I go to my storage unit to look for outdoor gear (I have a storage unit for gear, that’s a clue) I don’t know where everything is. That’s not just an organization issue, it’s also a sign you may have too much “stuff.”
The trick is, not to die with too much stuff.
Ya. You don’t want to make your kids deal with all your shit. Alleviating this problem is also known as “Swedish Death Cleaning.” I don’t really think it can be said this is exclusively a “Swedish” practice. It makes a lot of sense regardless of where you might be from. The basic concept is to give all your stuff away before there is a need for your children to deal with it. Not only will they thank you (probably not posthumously, just to be clear) but death cleaning allows the recipients of your shit to make use of the gifted items sooner. My Sweetheart often chides me, “why do you have two of those?” Her intent is to point out to me the redundant nature of my purchasing habits. What she is REALLY doing is pointing out my purchasing DEFICIENCY. You see, I have three children… TWO of everything is not enough to make ALL my children feel appreciated when the time to distribute all my precious acquisitions.
For the record, I haven’t completed my “cleaning”. I still have a lot of shit that hasn’t been dealt with. I’m going to assume this is a good sign when it comes to my personal chances for longevity. Nevertheless, It’s probably not too soon to start thinking about where all my shit will eventually end up residing…