Too much crap

My blogging buddy, Doboy, recently posted some commentary about our lives being packed in boxes in the garage. That got me thinking about a related but unrelated topic - people have too much junk. It's crazy seeing the number of houses in my neighborhood that have their cars out in their driveway (often times nice cars) because they have so much crap in their garage. If it gets to that point, you need to go through your stuff and donate stuff to the Salvation Army and/or throw some stuff away.

I got rid of a lot of my own crap several years ago during the numerous moves I made after leaving NY and eventually ending up where I am now. It was hard to get rid of some stuff even though deep down I knew I'd never need them. Do I really need to keep my college Physics books or Fluid Dynamics book? The fact that I was paying by the pound to move my stuff made it easier to get rid of stuff too. You never really realize how much crap you have until you have to move.

Getting rid of stuff makes me realize what a throw-away society we have become. It's sad how much "good" stuff gets thrown away - half eaten plates of food, slightly worn clothes. In some parts of my life, I've tried to go "paperless". I no longer receive paper statements from my bank as I do that all online now. I don't hold on to most owner's manuals anymore. I'll download the owner's manual from the manufacturer's website and save it on my computer.

There are some silly stuff that I still hold onto. I have a nice set of encylopedias that I still hold onto. I never use them any more but they make for nice "decorations" on the book shelf.