Saturday, December 4, 2010

Why do I want to be nomadic?

This is a question I found myself asking multiple times this week. I have been trying to get ready for our giant of a baby- clearing out space, bringing baby things in, taking lots of stuff to my mom's to store, etc. All the while I was trying to put up a few Christmas decorations as well as shop for Christmas presents. Often I would get frustrated..."Why do we have so much stuff?" I would ask myself. That would lead to me going through things again, trying to figure out how to get rid of anything so it seemed like we didn't live in a land of clutter. You may call this "nesting" or just the "Christensen gene", but the fact remained that I have been bothered by having so much stuff.

Part of the problem is that we need all of that stuff...we use a lot of it fairly regularly or definitely want to keep it for the future...so I am not sure what I can get rid of to make more space. Maybe I just need more space! Obviously we need more space since we are adding to our family, but we are in our current lease for a few more months...plus we aren't sure where grad school will take us in the next year.

Then I got thinking- why does it bother me that we have so much stuff? Isn't that what people dream of? Isn't that what people work for? To get stuff? Then why is it that I feel like we have too much? I didn't always feel that way...for a long time I loved to shop for anything but now even the smallest thing seems more of an inconvenience. I have had an extremely difficult time this year making a Christmas wish list because I don't want anything! And at the same time, of course I want lots of things. But Christmas shopping has not been as joyful as it usually is this year and it is not just because my feel get tired quicker and I have to find a bathroom every three stores.

For so long I was used to moving every semester and making sure that all I owned could fit into and on top of my car; why do I still want to be able to be a nomad? Why am I still in that college state of mind? We are adults now and we own furniture and lots of other things and it is never going to fit in our cars. Face it- when I move, I will need a Uhaul. So what? That is okay, right? But for some reason it bugs me.

So our poor baby doesn't have much of a chance...already I am thinking "oh he can do without that" to many things lots of people would view as a necessity. And maybe, just maybe, he will get some things that I wouldn't normally buy because we will get them from others or on craigslist or something but it won't be because I go and get them for him. (Don't get me started on how painful it is to spend money...dang frugalness!)

Anywho, that is all of my ranting for now because Nick just got home from the dentist. There wasn't a point to this post other than I just needed a place to complain for a minute, so if you made it all the way through to the end, congrats to you.

1 comment:

nick said...

Hey, I'm excited to have stuff...who doesn't want jewel-encrusted elephant salt and pepper shakers?! I say we're pretty lucky ;)
Love you, baby!