Too Much Stuff

We have officially moved. From New Jersey to Connecticut. it was supposed to be a pretty simple packing job. We were moving into a mostly-furnished house, and we’ll be returning to our apartment in New Jersey. I thought we’d put a few things in storage, a few more in a U-Haul, and be on our way.

Seven full days of packing, sorting, and throwing away later, we have come to one simple conclusion: we own too much stuff. Here’s a picture of a small portion of what we threw away:

And here’s one of a portion of what we were giving away:

I am embarrassed to admit that we will not miss any of it. I could go through the stuff we kept and do it all again, and maybe (but just maybe) then I’d start to feel a loss.

I also sent a big box of toys and clothes and books to our friends Eric and Holly Nelson, of the Special Hope Network, a faith-based nonprofit organization that serves children with disabilities in Zambia. This box included the clothes that are too stained for American giveaways. Holly and Eric have written recently about how different life is here and there. A glimpse:

“How do we minister and live surrounded by Zambian people who have so little, and are grateful for that little, when we are used to so much? How do we adapt our lifestyle and eating habits to be able to meet more needs of more people, while still remaining thankful, and happy? How do we come up against such stark need, and not respond to every one, or pick and choose between them? What is the correct way to respond, so we aren’t creating Zambian consumers, like we, Americans have become?

…As a personal example, I gave away more than half of my clothes. Not very willingly. OK, so I did it with some kicking and a bit of an attitude. I then put half of that on a container for Africa which hasn’t yet sailed. I then have only worn less than half of the remaining amount, due to wearing chtenges (colorful skirts, made of a wide piece of African fabric), so I, Holly, could clearly live with less than 1/4 of my clothes, quite happily. So, my challenge to you is, if you live in a huge American house, and have a huge closetful of stylish clothes, and treat yourself to treats you ‘deserve’, what do you do with that in light of folks who barely have enough money from working hard every day to buy their family food?”

Hmm. I know it isn’t as simple as “If I buy less clothes, there will be more clothes in Zambia.” (At least it isn’t that simple on a global economic scale. If everyone buys less clothes, then there are less jobs and that hurts real people.) Quite frankly, there aren’t many of us in America who are going to change our lifestyles in light of conditions in Zambia. But what if I did? As I packed up that box for Zambia, I knew that the twenty stuffed animals that will not be missed by our children will go into twenty different homes and provide a little joy for twenty (or more) children.

This week, the unpacking begins. I think I’ll start another box to send to Zambia. Lord knows, we have more than enough stuff to fill it up.

P.S. If you’re interested in sending your extra stuff to Zambia, the container will ship soon! Direct your packages to:

Special Hope Network, 2833 Burnt Mill Rd. Charlottesville, VA 22911

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