Sunday, July 09, 2006

Living the Good Live vs the Goods Life

Once, a few years back, Miss Rosie owned a flea market and over the years accumulated vast quantities of stuff to sell. Lots of people would sell me stuff, lots of people gave me stuff and lots of people were trying to get rid of other peoples stuff. During the 15 years of meeting all types of people, I think the one thing that remains on my mind is the stuff. Miss Rosie can remember children coming in to sell their parents stuff after the parent had left this world. They came to the beach to clean up the estate and opened the garage and were met with box after box after unopened box of stuff purchased from the TV. The were in shock and couldnt understand why their parent would do such a thing to the tune of 10,000 to 15,000 worth of stuff.

Did you ever wonder who you talk to when you get old and are alone. The kids live somewhere else, your spouse is gone, you are unable to drive, you have few friends or most of them are gone too. That friendly voice on the TV, encouraging you to call, expressing an interest, asking how you are and telling you all about this wonderful product that is only 19.95 for 3 months....you call and you are hooked and the marketing doesnt let you go. Do you realize that all most of us want is to have a person express an interest in listening to us talk.

Miss Rosie was touched by that lonely person whose only friend was their stuff and that distant voice on the phone. It struck a cord and a few years later when she was faced with her Dad's death and his wife's death just 12 days apart and she sat amongst all their stuff.....it was so crystal clear......Are you living a good life or a GOODS life. As I looked at all my Dad's stuff I realized how trapped he had been by his stuff. He lived far out in the country and needed to be close to town for his doctors and hospitals but felt he couldnt leave his stuff. Miss Rosie looked at the stuff and agonized on how she was gonna get her 1/2 of the stuff back to Oregon from Florida. There was lots of good stuff, lots of money to be made on Ebay, lots of stuff.

One of the most enlightening days of Miss Rosies life was the day she said to her sister....."Deb.....you can have all the stuff, I dont want it" When Miss Rosie got home from Florida she looked at all her stuff and proceeded to get rid of it, pare it down. No more china closets full of stuff that she never looked at....No more defining her worth by the stuff she owned, no more being unable to make quick decisions because of the rock of stuff around her neck, no more falling for the false voices telling you how much you need stuff and how you need to have stuff just like whoever. Miss Rosie is not buying the commercialism anymore, she sees through the glib, and she is living a good life not a GOODS life.

By the way, when Miss Rosie closed the flea market she liquidated 10,000 sq feet of stuff and in the end was giving it away....you know...it really is just stuff, no more no less....

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