These days I am occupied with Stuff. Like everyone else, I deal with my share of Things. But it’s Stuff that seems to occupy much of my time. Things are a little different than Stuff. Life changing events, moments of clarity, or adrenalin pumping emotion are usually Things. “He’s in the middle of a Thing, best not to talk to him.” Stuff is everything else.
Standing in my apartment and asking “What is all this stuff?” My stuff is a lifetime of accumulated objects, numerous and too many to count. Big stuff and wee stuff. It can be animal, vegetable or mineral. There is stuff I have for making my art. Tools like cameras and lights. The product of this creativity is usually more stuff – folders of negatives and gigabytes of image files. Then there’s the day-to-day stuff. Clothing, for example, and all the stuff I need to store, mend, clean and press it. There’s stuff that will not last. Stuff with short lifespans, but always needing to be restocked when it’s gone. Food, for example. Have to have it. No way around it. Food needs lots of stuff for growing and harvesting, but that’s not my concern at the moment. I do, however, have to have stuff to keep it fresh and palatable. Food that rots becomes stinky stuff. And if there was ever an over-abundance of stuff, it’s in the kitchen. Drawers and cabinets dedicated to it.
Some stuff is important, so I personally try to make room for it. I want to keep the stuff that is good. There is no room for bad stuff. That’s called crap. If I have learned anything, it’s not to put up with or keep crap nearby. Of course, no matter how hard I try there’s always some crap laying around somewhere. Some of it is other peoples stuff that made its way into my world, but that doesn’t stop me from throwing it out.