Storage and "Stuff"

Today, The One-Minute Writer asked, "What would you like to put into storage?" I was instantly reminded of George Carlin's routine about his "Stuff".




Asking a pack rat like me to name what I would want to put into storage is a little like Pandora's Box in reverse. There are so many things that I would like to eliminate, but putting them into storage would imply that I might want them again later. Many things that I would want to eliminate are so private and personal that this isn't the forum. Personality issues like anger or insecurity might be a burden to bear, but to put them into storage would be denying part of ourselves. Personally, I just try to cope with those and put them on the back burner to keep them tamed.

To name the physical "stuff" I would want to put into storage would create a long list. As a habitual pack rat, I find it hard to put things into storage. It makes me think of those storage rental companies with storage units where I would have to drive over to look at my "stuff." I don't hoard, but when I keep something, I feel I have a good reason. If I want to retrieve something again later, I keep it close and I don't think of it as storage. I could open a store and call it R.J.'s Attic, Basement and Garage if I wanted to cash in on all the "stuff" I keep around my house. However, I doubt that anyone would want any of my "stuff" so I haven't tried to auction any of it on eBay. I keep my "stuff" because it has meaning to me.

For example, I used to sew, but I stopped. I used to make dresses, vests, and apparel that would cease to be in style, so those clothes went into a back closet. I couldn't bear to throw them away or give them away, because I had spent a lot of time and effort making them exactly as I wanted, which made me emotionally attached to my clothes. Since I don't have unlimited space to store clothes, I stopped making my clothes.

Digital storage is most important to me. I love photos and collect endlessly so data storage of photos would appeal most to me. Since I began using digital cameras, the convenience of loading photos to a computer has astounded me. It makes me want to gather all of my slides and negatives from the past to store them in a digital format also. It would be a daunting task time-wise but it is a long term goal of mine.