In a discussion group yesterday, we talked about the things that we are attached to and what 10 things would we grab or want to save if we were running out of a fire.
As an educator and trainer, this is an activity that we often ask our students as a learning exercise and also an assessment of an individual in group interviews. In trying to answer it for myself, it is always different since I tend to over-analyze the situation and sway from being practical to being sentimental to being minimal.
Our shipment of things finally arrived last weekend and we quickly got busy with unpacking our boxes. Although we felt there wasn’t much, considering the size of our house compared to the size of where we were living in Tokyo, it turns out that we still have a lot of things. π€·π½ββοΈ I loathe to imagine how much we will have acquired in five years time after living in our Italian house π³π€―, but I shall not linger on that.
In unpacking and trying to find a new, semi-permanent home for our belongings, I found a sense of peace, calm, and stability fall over me. Actually, it has been over a year of uncertainty and movement, which causes one to feel unease even if one gets used to it. So, as I was unfolding my clothes – while also doing an ‘edit’ (as per the Home Edit) – I felt my mood lift into a lighter space than it has been lately.
Although I do not think of myself as overly materialistic, I do acknowledge that I have a great appreciation for my belongings – especially my clothes. Somehow, my possessions give me a sense of groundedness, perhaps as a concrete expression of easing my dis-ease in moving around so much in my early years. Funnily enough, now that everything is with me, I am less attached to many of the items that I have hung on to for years.
So, back to the question – what ten things would I want to take with me in the event of a fire?
Practical responses include: paperwork (adoption, birth, marriage), passport, laptop, and clothes – though only if convenient and there is time.
Sentimental responses include: my years of journals, new paintings with value, …
Really that is it. Almost everything is replaceable and, my journals will someday be tossed anyway, so… in essence I really don’t need anything except my paperwork and passport.
Yet, the sense of peace and calm that falls upon me as I sit amidst all of worldly comforts is fully appreciated in this moment. π
~T π₯πβοΈ
