Stuff

How much stuff can a person accumulate in nine months? How much stuff can a person honestly need when living away from home on a remote island? How many tops, skirts, pairs of shorts – and this is a good one – shoes, does a person need when you can only wear one thing at a time? Well apparently a lot.

I blogged about “stuff” when I was packing to come up last year. I said at the time that I was happy to leave a lot of stuff behind, that I was only bringing the essentials with me. And I did. But then when I got here I started to get other stuff, and on visits home I would bring back more stuff. To the point where now, when I was unpacking into our new unit I could not believe how much I had. I would open another carton or suitcase and wonder at what was inside, shake my head and say “ridiculous”.

The wardrobe space in this unit is unbelievable – and I have filled it! Even in the kitchen I already have a stash of Tupperware, and did I really need to bring up my retro canisters? And let’s not talk about what’s in the bathroom!





My kitchen - don't the canisters look great?



Lounge area

But before I beat myself up any further, I’m reminded of a conversation I had recently with my friend Jan. Jan is the pastor at the Uniting Church and has been living here for the past two years. She said that when she got her posting a pastor friend gave her valuable advice – make it home. In other words bring whatever it is that you need to make it feel like home. Good advice.

So my friends, I do need that black skirt, my Country Road shorts, the bargain halter top I found at Vinnies and my green shoes (for dancing). I need Tupperware to keep my food fresh and the canisters look great in the kitchen. And why wouldn't I stock up big on toiletries? - they are so expensive up here.

So, all in all, my stuff is good stuff. And as long as I have it around me, being here does not feel temporary. I feel at home, belonged. My daughter Vera is big into de-cluttering - and that's not a bad thing. But stuff can also hold memories. And one day when we leave this island home, I'll pack it all up and bring it back with me and remember all that happened to us when we came to live on T.I.

Life is good.