STUFF

As our year-long adventure nearly comes to an end, I’m thinking about mantras again.

While we were traveling, on most days, we held hands and said,

Be safe. 

Be curious.

Be present.

Be open. 

Be grateful.

This mantra meant a lot to me. It has been our family prayer, reflecting our most important wishes, and grounding us as we explored completely foreign lands.

With our return to the United States only weeks away, a lot of our conversation has turned towards what we’d like to have or do – or buy – when we return. There’s a lot of focus on “stuff.”  To be fair, while we have had many experiences in the last year, we haven’t had a lot of stuff. We packed all our essentials in one suitcase and one backpack each and boarded a one-way flight. We left our stuff behind. 

Those cozy slippers you like wearing in the morning? Nope. 

Your collection of hats from every golf course you’ve played? Nope. 

The brand new Barbie Dream House you got on your birthday? Nope.

We also got rid of a lot of our stuff before we left. To prepare our home for our tenants, we pared down and packed up. We donated books to the drive held at the high school. We brought toys to the Swap Shop (and saw how little girls squealed in delight as they hugged/claimed the things we had loved most) and sent crayons and markers to a recycling center. We brought dinosaur devices to the Apple Store for recycling. We sold bikes and board games. We bagged up clothes to donate to P2P, and we gave old towels and sheets to veterinary hospitals. 

And now, we don’t have a lot of stuff.

Sadie talks about how she’ll need new clothes this fall, since she’s grown at least 12 feet since we left. Reese talks about reacquainting herself with every single doll that lies waiting for her in boxes in our basement. Harper daydreams about her books, her NOT DIGITAL books with ACTUAL paper pages that are stored in our attic. Chris misses his outdoor stuff – his grill, garden beds, and fire pit. And, if I’m being honest, I look forward to wearing my wedding rings again, and all the stuff that used to be in my closet, like pretty dresses and shoes that are not considered sneakers.

There’s a lot of focus on our stuff lately.

I know that’s ok. But I don’t want to slip back into a life where we’re focused on stuff, where our shelves are overflowing with books we read once, games we don’t play, and gadgets we never use. I don’t want to completely shift our focus away from experiences and adventures to… stuff.

So perhaps it’s time for a new Noonan Family Mantra. I can feel my family’s eyes rolling already, so I know I’m on the right track.