Have you ever noticed that some people must be surrounded by "things"? All sorts of things. There are even those who will dip into the rent money to buy a thing that is either not needed at all, or could easily wait until there was money available for it. I'm not talking about the collector who has a fondness for something in particular, and collects those items as they are found and as funds allow. I'm talking about the person who is obsessed with having the newest and the best; who values the ownership of material possessions above all else. Sadly, they seldom realize what they are doing.

To buy something new and nice to replace something old and worn out is very usual and ordinary. BUT, to not throw out that old and worn out item says something else entirely. We all know people who cannot let go of anything that may come into their hands. It doesn't matter if it's a rusty old nail, or makeup that's 5 years old, or a broken razor. They just can't let anything go. You'll find stacks of old newspapers and magazines, tons of keys, drawers full of mail and cards, closets of clothes from school days long gone, trinkets and keepsakes and every form of junk known to man, broken appliances -- you get the picture. These people are obsessed with "things". I once knew a very wealthy woman who would take used paper towels, smooth them out, and put them in the oven to dry. She used them over and over until they were shreds.

One thing each of us must do is learn to separate our "wants" from our "needs", and this isn't easy. If you imagine yourself standing naked in the middle of the desert, what would you reach for? Give this careful thought -- it's not as easy as it sounds. When you realize the impact of where you are (in the middle of nowhere), and the condition you're in (you have NOTHING), then you begin to think of survival and gradually the "wants" fall away and the "needs" surface. This is a good exercise to see if you have balance in your life.

By no stretch of the imagination am I saying that each of us does not deserve to have those nice things we like in order to live in comfort. However, I am saying that if the accumulation of these things comes before any thing else, then you have a problem. Do you measure other people, the degree of their success, and their value in life by the number and type of things they own? Do you measure yourself this way? Does it take an inanimate object to make you feel important and valuable? Are you uncomfortable and wary around people who have less than you, or defensive if they have more than you?

In our search for inner understanding, it is important that we realize that those things which no longer serve us should be passed along to those who can make good use of them. If anything is beyond repair, get rid of it. If we hold onto things which have no real use to us, what are we saying about ourselves? Are we so afraid of being "without" that we must have things around us "just in case"? Examine life to see where this terrible insecurity; this lack of self esteem, lack of self confidence, lack of self worth comes from -- for that it what we are saying about ourselves, you know: Without these "things", I am nothing. I have no value, so I must surround myself with things that do. If the possession of things is an obsession with you, then perhaps professional counseling is indicated. Be honest. Do you need help?
 

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E-Mail to Julia  may be sent to meyna@mindspring.com