Over the last few weeks I've been selling off most of my possessions. This is the second time in the last six months that this urge has struck. The first time I was considering moving out of state and I didn't want to move a lot of furniture and other miscellaneous stuff. When I moved to Florida early in 2007 I hired movers and filled my car to the brim. And yet, after I got resettled, I sold nearly everything I had brought from Chicago. Why did I believe I needed those things? What is the attachment people have to material things? Don't get me wrong, I'm no ascetic, nor some modern day traveling gypsy, though I sometimes fantasize about that kind of life. When I'm in friends' homes or seeing some show on HGTV or browsing a magazine, I do find myself imagining what it would be like to have the home of my dreams.
It's very spacious, older, probably built in the 1920s or earlier. It has wood floors throughout and wide porcelain sinks. The bath has a claw foot tub. The kitchen has natural wood cabinets. The windows are all very tall to accommodate the high ceilings. There are about four bedrooms and separate living and dining rooms. I'm not into the modern open floor plan so popular today. I like separate rooms, each with its own character. And fireplaces, lots of fireplaces but probably no central air. It would have a large yard, big enough to have both gardening and leisure spaces. There would be lots of rugs strewn in every room but not so much that the wood floors aren't seen. And the furnishings would be minimal. The basics. A comfy sofa and some sitting chairs in the living room. A good size dining table. Big comfy beds and dressers. A writing desk in the den. I dig dens. However, what is the attraction, the draw to a place like this?
I have found of late that the more I develop my spiritual life, the less the material world seems to matter. The home I imagine above may be a home I have lived in before. Perhaps it was a home I had a very good life in. While past lives are fascinating and can be helpful in understanding our motivations in our present lives, they are also in the past. In this life, my needs are simpler and I'm most happy with less stuff. I often get the desire to just go, whether out of town or farther. Having a home or an apartment anchors one to a place. There are responsibilities to homes for most of us that cannot be completely ignored. Also, I've always had a very independent spirit in this life and have, at times, suffered unnecessarily because I could not ask for help when it was really needed. It may be that my present circumstances are a way for the Universe to teach me to reach out to others. Family (not necessarily by blood), friends, teachers, guides, and community are important. No matter how accomplished anyone may be, they did not become accomplished all on there own. No one is an island. We now know that the human race, that all existence, is inexorably connected and everything has an effect on everything else. Even when we think we are most alone, we aren't. What I'm learning through all of this is that my favorite things are of the subtler planes. My spirit, compassion, empathy, intellect, intuition, and love are some of my favorite things. Although, I do still have some material things I treasure as well. I love my djembe and its ability to forge a spontaneous community whenever I encounter a drum circle. My laptop is an invaluable tool to keep me physically connected to the world. My car allows me to get to the places I both want and need to go to. And my friends keep me sane.
