Too much stuff.
If you'll recall ... or, if you keep scrolling far enough back in time ... or if you'll take my word for it ... I once wrote that my stuff was problematic. Problematic because there was a finite amount of volume in my luggage. And my stuff, all that precious cargo that needed to travel with me across the ocean, occupied more volume than my luggage could hold.
Yeah, so, remind me to kick my younger self in the ass on that one!
My parents arrived in Vienna recently, and brought with them two full luggage pieces filled with my stuff. I packed them before I left.
... and I'm sending a whole lot of it back to the USA.
In a way, I'm happy about that. In fact, I'd offer that I'm very happy about that. It's a realization that I don't need nearly as much as I thought to thrive here. I have clothes. I have my laptop. I have some tech stuff. I have a few other essentials. I have my skates. I have hiking and backpacking gear.
I'm good!
This isn't meant to criticize or shame anyone who likes having new things. Or lots of things. I like new things. And I like having a lot of things. But when it gets down to it, my experience is helping me realize what I need, versus what I want. I don't need to have 30 button down and/or dress shirts here. Enough for two weeks at work plus a few casual and dressy options is plenty. So why did I have so many shirts at home? Oy vey ...
Getting my skates feels amazing. Incredible. There is only one rink here that has ice all year round, and public skating only one day a week if my German is correct (it's probably not but whatever). But its such an essential extension of me. I need to be on the ice. It's part of who I am, and my skates are the means to do that. You better believe I have a date at that rink just as soon as I can. Very grateful to them for bringing those skates ...
Anyways, overall these experiences help me realize that I want to lighten things up when I get back to the States. Sure, winter things are bulkier and heavier, but I can do more with less. It will help remove clutter and let me see things a little easier. In the end, that frees more time and more space for other things, other activities, other people. Isn't that what stuff is for? To help enable us to share our time with others?
I plan to share the ice with my co-workers. I will share the trails and the mountains here with my hiking boots. And I'll share my time with others here whose company I enjoy.
... just don't mention that my parents will be sharing the weight of my luggage on their return trip ;)
