Estate Sale

Many things lately, including a recent minor flood in our home, have been reminding me how caught up we seem to be with our stuff. The acquisition and maintenance of our possessions tends to drive so much of our lives. We spend substantial time shopping. We redecorate and rearrange. We buy larger items on credit. Perhaps I’m even more aware of this force upon us here in Orange County. And then here comes our little flood week before last and we find ourselves having to clean out bedrooms and closets and cupboards and “that corner” in the garage. Suddenly, we come up with a car load of stuff to donate that we didn’t even need. And that’s only the first car load, but it serves as a reminder of how we fill our lives with stuff. We’re always so excited about our purchases. Then, as the individual items age they move from the living room to the back bedroom to a closet, then the garage. And a few years later we find ourselves out in the garage wondering why we ever bought that junk in the first place, let alone stored it for an extra decade.

So as I ponder my recent experiences I have to ask the age old question, “What do we really need?” That’s an awkward question because people usually assume that you are about to judge them based upon their possessions. But it’s still a viable question because it helps to serve as a foundation for more questions like, “How much do we have to earn?” or “Which things truly have value in our lives?” Not to mention, “What kind of legacy does our stuff represent?” And it goes on from there. However, rather than continuing to ramble on this subject I’ll just share the following poem that I actually wrote at an estate sale we visited last fall. I’m not against estate sales, or sales of any other kind for that matter, but I challenge you to consider the above questions in light of the wisdom of hindsight which this experience provided me with.  Remember, it’s only stuff … and it can’t actually make you happy

Estate Sale
We turned off when we saw the sign
As we were passing through
And drove to the estate sale
As we are wont to do
In search of deals and treasures
If some were to be had
Which we usually find enjoyable
But today it made me sad
As I wandered through the house
The thought that weighed on me
Is that we somehow were intruding
On someone else's memories
Their possessions told the story
Of the lifetime they had shared
That strangers now picked over
And it seemed somehow unfair
To be rummaging through their home
Without a second thought
Like so many human vultures
Who had descended on the spot
So I resolved right then and there
Not to fill my life with stuff
That my children wouldn't even want
That I will learn to say, "enough"
That as my life progresses
And long before my final day
I'll purge all the worthless things
And give the rest away
I don't want a bunch of junk
To define my legacy
I want the people whom I love
To just remember me
         By Frank Carpenter ©