I've spent a lot of time this summer living out of my suitcase and my vehicle. It is always a challenge to get all I need for a few days into a small space, especially if I am performing or if I need a variety of shoes and clothes for different social situations. I make careful choices and haven't forgotten anything I needed in a long time. Sometimes it makes me wonder what I really do need in my life.
When I get home and start to catch up on all the work, yard work and housework, I'm overwhelmed by my stuff. I continue to live out of the suitcase for a few days because almost everything I really need is still there and easy to find but I have so much more.
Yesterday I was reading a blog written by a person who tried to pare down his personal possessions to just 100 items. I was relieved to see he counted his library as one thing. Although I wouldn't want to have to get rid of as much, I know I do need to clear out some of my clutter. Books are probably my biggest weakness and although I have an electronic book reader that is both light and stores a ton of volumes, I still buy a few books, especially when I attend conferences and travel. My greatest weapon against literary clutter has always been libraries. I can't afford to buy every book I want to read, and there are many, and I wouldn't want to because once I buy a book with my money and invest the time reading it I don't want to let it go. Libraries offer me the chance to read a book knowing if I really want to read it again I can borrow it again. It has been great to live in a library region where books flow easily from branch to branch and this summer it seemed like the world opened up a little bit wider when my library card gave me access to any library in Saskatchewan. It works like magic, letting me borrow, order and return books anywhere in the province. I need all the help I can find with my stuff problem and libraries offer me a free solution.
Now if only I could borrow the time to transfer my music collection to my MP3 player and could find a lending institution for clothes and toys, my possessions would shrink and I'd have to waste less time picking them up.
