Junk

Buy, buy
Says the sign in the shop window
Why, why
Says the junk in the yard

-Junk, Paul McCartney

I just spent a good chunk of time straightening the garage again. I say again, because the contents seem to multiply every few weeks or so. A lot of it seems to be just "stuff". And stuff is not healthy.

Here's what happens to "stuff".

A. You actually use it, and give the stuff a purpose.

B. You don't, and it either collects dust, or gets broken because it's squeezed in with so much other stuff, or you forget what you have. And that's just silly. That's when you end up buying an item to replace the one you forgot you had, (or misplaced because your stuff is poorly labeled). And what do you have then? Latshaw's Dungeon, that's what. Or you're living like a hoarder except in a more civilized manner.

If I don't think I have a use for it, I don't buy it. My priorities are simple as I am still in school, working with a teency-weency budget. But even when I had a salary, I really only got what I needed. I like keeping it simple. I like to know where my things are, and I like cleaning house when I discover what I no longer need, it's therapeutic. Off to the Goodwill or Salvation Army or trashman. Bye-Bye!

I buy food, gas, I pay my bills as they come. My splurges are generally a mocha to keep me focused when I am running on too little sleep, and a snack when I am on-the-run. (And I know how much I am affected my a lack of sleep. It's not good. I turn into a space-cadet. I feel that the mocha, although an obviously overpriced drink, is in many circumstances, a necessity for me to perform well, without embarrassment. Trust me.)

I am looking forward to buying groceries and paying my bills without feeling guilty. That's what it's been like for me while I've been in school. (Aside from the Six Flags gig. . .that helped me out exponentially for a few months in 2008.) It'll be great to be able to work with a real budget again. I will also live frugally, though. I don't see why one wouldn't want to live frugally. I think it's a smart way of making your dollars stretch farther. I don't know. I just enjoy the simple things.

That's not to say that quality doesn't cost, of course it does. And I don't like to skimp on quality. But I would rather live in a modest, adequate, smart (meaning, structurally sound and safe) house that costs a little less, but allows me to experience life than throw my money away on the biggest house, the coolest car, or whatever the impressive thing IS at the moment in our society, and have to skimp on affording life experiences.

But I have always been an under-the-radar outside-the-box thinker. I'm not one of those people who is wayyyyyy out there. I make sense, for the most part, as long as I'm making an educated decision about something. I think logically. I'm a catagorizer and a sorter. I am always trying to live a better, healthier, more sensible life than I did yesterday. Now my new job will put me back on track with a lot of who I am, being than I've always been a very independent soul, who has always felt a calm in knowing she could provide adequately for herself.

But don't think for a minute that my modest house wouldn't be clean, hip, and stylish. (Those of you who know me well know to think such an idea would be preposterous!) To IKEA, at the speed of light: Let's make us a hipster house! Some elegance, some modernism, some romance. Clean lines, coordinates, smart storage devices. I could spend a whole day in that store. I'd love to transport just one of the rooms on their floor instantly into my dwelling place.

I also love gift-giving. I've been poorly represented in my gift-giving and ability to surprise loved ones and friends since embarking on my studies and going back to school. Christmases have been particularly dreadful for me, as I am the Drummer Boy with No Gift to Bring, Pa-Rum-Pum-Pum-Pum. It's an awful feeling not to present yourself as you ideally do in these situations, even though "everyone understands". It's such a joy to pick out a gift for someone and to give it to them. I am looking very much forward to this Christmas! I am generally very much a "get them something you know they very much want" or "can very much use".

Why, why, says the Junk in the yard?

Currently, I am a lover of experiences and you'll find me wanting to get out and do things. I love learning and I love going to new places. I like history a lot, and biographies. I like hearing stories about things that actually happened. I like music, art, literature, film, dance. I am looking forward to continuing to season my life with meaning and feeding my spirit. Once you stop doing that, you die inside. . .which is why Peter Pan never wanted to grow up, you know. When you can have adventure, why would you want anything else?

That's not to say that down time isn't important. It's essential. But balance is even more essential. So here's to a life of balance. In a balanced life, you're not buying into buying the stuff in the shop window, and there's never any junk in your yard.

Ahhhhhh. To breathe.