Stuff

In Europe there are more people and less space. Less space means you own less stuff. As we traveled around I was struck by how much people get by on in other countries and these are still very well-off areas of the world. It got me thinking about how much stuff I had back at home. How much stuff I haven't even touched in a year or worse since we moved into our condo almost 2.5 years ago. 

Why do we love stuff so much? Why do I have this insane voice in my head when I want to get rid of something that says oh you might need that one day? Why can't we share more stuff as a community so that each of us doesn't have to own one of everything? 

It's this later point that I'm really interested in. All our prosperity means that we can purchase our independence. The prosperity we have financially may actually be hindering the prosperity of our social, emotional and mental health, which definitely has links to our relationships with those around us. 

Coming back has first gotten me to start a major purge of our stuff. Making sure that everything we have is useful to us to justify taking up space in our house. We've started a pretty large donate pile already. 

Second, I've started to think about ways to facilitate the connection that comes with needing to communally share stuff. Would my neighbours be curious to know what tools or kitchen appliances we have? Would they want to know that we always have a fully stocked pantry? I'm hoping the answer is yes to these questions and others. Just need to start by plucking up some courage and putting this stuff out there to see where it lands.