fondle your possessions

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Where I live, Sunday is market day. I do most of my weekly grocery shopping in the street, but to get to the food I have to walk a block in any direction. The stands that are set up right outside my window all sell crap made in China or whatever other country is being exploited for cheap labor at the moment. I watch these stands every Sunday, before and after going out. People shuffle past, stop, and sometimes shell out 5 euros (about $7) for a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, shoes or some bling.

Not that I'm against shopping: as you read in my previous post, I fight my own battle with the urge to acquire on a daily basis. Thrift shops and trash are my weakness though, 'cos it's not so much the cheap price I go for as the unique beauty or weirdness of an object. Today I checked out the small flea market section of the street market to see if there was anything I might be able to upscale and re-sell. I lingered, contemplated and even fondled a few objects, but decided they didn't have the resale draw I was after, so let 'em be. I was proud to walk away with only a couple bulk paks of wooden matches, something I can definitely use. Phew! I got the groceries and went back in.

I watched the stands outside as I cleaned my room. The sneaker stand was doing a fairly brisk business, and the t-shirt stand had some action too. My space is about the size of a shoebox, so I congratulated myself on keeping my wardrobe fairly minimal these days as I folded and put away my clothes. Then, as I was glueing an old cigar box back together, it hit me: FONDLE YOUR POSSESSIONS! Think about it: just about everyone has stuff, and most anyone in the western world has way too much. Hell, teleport a typical US household to some poor part of the world and it could easily take care of a small village.

But seriously, if you want to change your consumption habits, fondle your stuff. I guarantee that if you spend a half hour taking care of some of the stuff you already have, it'll suppress the urge to go out and buy more stuff. Cos acquiring stuff isn't like feeding your body: you don't have a "stuff stomach" that cries out for food if you starve it. You've been brainwashed by capitalism, that's all. I stood there in the sunlight, repairing my old cigar box, and wondered what the hell those people needed with the new crap they were buying on the street. In fact, the more you fondle your possessions, the more you may even decide you don't need all of 'em. And guess where that leads?

Upcycling!