Wednesday, June 30, 2010

The thing about things



Things! Things! Things! A plethora of things. Things wherever one looks. Things one doesn’t have space for. Things one doesn’t really need but thinks one might at some time or another. Things with a funny widget on that you’re not really sure of the function of, but might find out someday.

Its amazing how things multiply. I’m sure they do it all by themselves when I’m not looking. Things also have a malicious tendency to hide away just when one needs them and then reappear just when one doesn’t. Have you ever noticed that you always find things when you are looking for something else?I am vexed by things.

Every now and then, life dictates that I divest myself of things, and I find myself with a suitcase of clothing, some books and little or nothing else. Then someone notices my dearth of things, and gives me things which I might as well use since I don’t have any, and anyway, it’d be a pity to throw them away and: voila! Once again, there are too many things, only they’re not the right ones, so I buy one or two more, and then there are even more things, and so on.

Things rolling around under the bed, things on the table, things in cupboards, things that require me to get more things to put them in so that they’ll be out of the way: a tottering mountain of things.

I’m in the early multiplication stage of things right now, and already it begins to get out of hand. I am saying ‘No thank you’ to things, I am giving things away, I am throwing things away, and I still can’t keep up. Soon, I shall disappear under an avalanche of things and lovely St Bernard dogs will have to come and dig me out (hope they bring brandy) and I’ll be on the news for surviving my ordeal.


The thing about things is that they are often regarded as important.


Todays' pic: something uncluttered.

6 comments:

  1. I completely forgot to mention yesterday how much I loved the photo- and today's photo too- perfect representation of uncluttered!
    If you end up on the news- I'll watch that story and I'll call up the dogs and remind them about the brandy.
    I have way too many things- it's an ongoing issue. It's that whole attachment thing that gets complicated.
    BTW- welcome to our family of artists! It's what keeps me blogging and creating- connections are even better than things.

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  2. Well- I was just wrapping up computer time for the morning and decided to clarify my statement "our family of artists". By "our" I don't mean it in an exclusive club sort of way- it's not. In my ideal family- anyone who wants to be there is welcome. All points of view, styles, ways of life are accepted on their own terms. The only requirement is just a desire to participate- and even then participation is completely optional. I suspect many artists don't do well in "joining". It's what I like about the computer- I can turn it off and walk away. I can chose when and where I want to be without worry.
    I just didn't want the whole "our family" thing to seem creepy- because it kind of did in retrospect. But anyway- welcome friend. Enough said.

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  3. If you're taking requests, can tomorrow's pic be hot Asian women making out?

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  4. I don't know if they have this show in South Africa but we have a show that airs on A&E called Hoarders & it is amazing how many "things" these people can fit in ones home.

    On a some what related subject the band Fugazi has an excellent song called Merchandise with a line "you are not what you own" sad since so many people around me seem to define themselves by their stuff

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  5. i used to keep alot of crap around and I still do sometimes but what I do is I set a date when I throw all the crap out. It's very liberating.

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  6. PAMO, I didn't think you a representitive of the Manson Family, fear not. I'm honoured to be among artists, even more because I'm no such thing. Most honoured! Even when I log off :)

    Grant: we can make a deal. Organize the ladies and I'll take the pictures!

    Karl: I'm with you: people often define themselves with irrelevant externalities: what car they drive, what job they do, how much they earn per month, what clothes they wear - even what music they listen to - although none of this has anything to do with who they really are!

    Israel: you're onto a good wicket - grood self-discipline there: in my experience most men are terrible hoarders of 'useful' things that don't get used for years, even more so than women! Mind you, women often like throwing things away just so that they can get new ones...

    Pure one: I ADORE Carlin, but my bandwidth, oh the terrible bandwidth... it comes out like slow-motion hiccups. Sigh. Thanks for sharing though: he's a fantastic commentator on all manner of things and doesn't pull his punches!

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