It's funny how moving makes you realize how much stuff you have. The process makes you handle every item you own at least once if not multiple times - organizing, choosing what to let go of, what to pack, how to pack it, in what box to pack it, etc. The moving company I'm using, Yamato, actually asks me to make a detailed list of items in every box, so it makes me really notice how much I am packing and how to organize it. Whenever I start to get overwhelmed and stressed, I try to remember to just let things go. They're only things. Sometimes when I think about throwing something away, I hear certain voices saying, "what if you could use it later?... or couldn't you sell it and make some money?... or isn't there someone you could give it to?... what a waste!... don't you know there are poor people who would love to have that thing you're throwing out?"
The voices of self-doubt in my mind might be right. But do you know how much time and energy it takes to sell small items? Definitely not worth the $1 I might make. Yes, I will try to sell my TV and furniture. But measuring cups? Beer mugs? An ugly orange tank top I never wear? Those things are going in a box marked "free stuff" that I will put outside my building.
"Free stuff." I like how that sounds, like that 90's movie "Free Willy." Really, wouldn't "stuff" be happier if it were "free?"
It might be more difficult to get certain things in Japan, or more expensive, but not impossible. The world is smaller than ever, and true physical freedom means you have to be portable, mobile, always ready to go on the next adventure.
My philosophy, which comes in part from growing up in cluttered houses, is that stuff not only keeps you from moving physically to a new geographical location, but it keeps your mind cluttered with worries (where did I put my passport?... maybe I should dust the bookshelf?... or iron the drapes?.... polish the end tables?...). Open space = an open mind. Your physical environment, meaning your apartment, desk, computer, and even the way you dress, mirrors what is inside your mind. The more attached you are to things, the less willing you are to give things away, be generous with your possessions and even your less tangible gifts. If there are papers to file, clothes to iron (I swear to never again own clothing that needs ironing, much less an iron), or books to dust, how can you go out into the world and meet your destiny, fulfill your dreams, meet, help and learn from other people? Dust less, get dirty more - playing soccer with friends, helping construct houses with Habitat for Humanity, or planting flowers in your garden.
As soon as I finish writing this, I am throwing out my feather duster and re-labeling my "stuff to maybe bring" box to "free stuff." Now, the time I would have spent listing the contents of the "maybe" box is free time... and the possibilities are endless.
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