In Excess
Tuesday, December 21, 2010 at 7:00AM MAD21 By Michelle (Graceful, Faith in the Everyday)
My kids are hoarders. Rocks, shells, SillyBandz, Bendarooz, marbles, spare change -- you name it, if it comes in multiples, they horde it.
This, you should know, drives me insane. I hate clutter, of course. I hate piles of junk and stacks of papers and counters littered with debris. Clutter literally depletes my energy. I can't relax, I can't function, until everything is in its proper place...or in the trash. I am the Queen of the Toss-Out.
An experiment conducted by the confirmation class at my church, however, made me realize that perhaps I'm not immune to hoarding tendencies after all. My pastor suggested the confirmation kids film snippets of their lives that point to excess -- as an example, she filmed her tea collection: tea in the kitchen cupboards, in canisters on the counter, more boxes stashed in drawers. Passionate about tea, Pastor Sara has enough of it in her house to last months.
Her experiment made me wonder: where do my excesses hide?
Turns out, I don't have to look far.
We have eight large bookshelves in our home. This does not include the books piled on a stool in the living room, on our bedside night stands, on the kids' bedroom floors and the cookbooks on the shelf and in the kitchen cupboard.
Need I mention that when we wed my husband Brad and I married our book collections as well? Committing ourselves to a lifelong partnership was easier than culling through our stacks to decide who would be rid of their beloved copies of Pride and Prejudice and To the Lighthouse. Between us we had five copies of Moby Dick -- five copies too many, if you ask me.
One thing I've noticed about the year-long Shop-Not project I've embarked upon is that not shopping for clothes, shoes, purses and accessories has freed up some extra cash. And you know where I'm tempted to spend it? That's right...at the bookstore or on Amazon.
I try to keep my ultimate goal in mind: to sponsor a Compassion child with the money I save from not shopping for a year. It's hard to justify the latest bestseller when you know basic sustenance and shelter are at stake. Still, I succumb to the lure of crisp pages and an uncracked binding far too often.
Turns out, those little boy hoarders didn't fall far from the tree.
Where are your hidden or not-so-hidden areas of excess? Have you ever thought about scaling back?
Michelle is a Christian wife and mother of two originally from Massachusetts now living in Nebraska. She is a part-time writer, editor and fundraiser for Nebraska PBS/NPR. Michelle loves to write about how her family illuminates God's presence in her everyday life, and on finding (and keeping) faith in the everyday. Michelle enjoys reading, running and writing. Be sure to go visit her blog, Graceful, Faith in the Everyday.
Budget, Excess, Family Life in Family Life
Reader Comments (17)
These thoughts are inspiring. Maybe I shall go on my own witch-hunt today. I think, so far, I'm guilty of both books and tea. I might be in big trouble here....
You know, I don't buy books; I checked them out from the library which totally grosses out friends of mine who shudder at the thought of the previous readers. Huh? In high school, when the library used those check out cards where you could see who had read the book before you, I thought it lent the book cool factors. I dunno.
But, guess what? I still have too many books. [I happen to love Moby Dick -- one of the few women I know who does] -- but my excess is food. I keep a stocked pantry and a stocked refrigerator. I don't know why I do -- but my mother taught me that when I pull the jar of pimentos from the shelf, then I put it on my grocery list.
I have other excesses, but this is all I am willing to confess. After all, I don't know you that well.
:)
ahhh. yes. books. ;)
well, I've been paring back drastically, and living overseas I can't have too many, but I do hoard away special food items (since we can't buy them here) for a later day...
but moving has put me aright again.
no more excuses, and no more excesses ;)
Oh, Michelle, I can relate. My husband calls us "book poor". We homeschool though and it's just tough to get rid of the "Good" books. You know what I mean. My son is a hoarder, too. He gets it honestly. I want to pare back, but which do you part with? I'll have to take inventory once again and begin donating to the local library and our church library. Thanks for the incentive.
Oh, girl... I'm laughing over here. I think I'm your doppelganger. My daughter "collected" things, too... and I completely relate to both the need for order (can you say ocd?) and the love of "crisp pages and an uncracked binding." Not to mention the smell of a new book... but I actually really really love old books, too... (ever visited abebooks?)
(I also like tea a LOT) Sigh...
Same here, Michelle-- my biggest weakness is books. Stacks everywhere... check out my post today on the itch to pitch. :)
shoes.
books.
Well, this is interesting! I, too, cannot stand visual clutter. My kids do NOT understand how important it is to have horizontal surfaces clear! And I, too, have a-bit-of-a-thing-for-books! After setting up our home library system for our homeschool this summer, I actually had to face the cold, hard facts of just how big a "thing" it has become. (4500+ volumes) And with 6 children still home, all the other multiples of necessaries require constant vigilance to tame. In other areas, we have simplified and it is a blessing. I need to continue to evaluate. Thank you for holding up a mirror! :)
The clutter drives me insane as well. I feel depleted just like you said. I do love books though. I don't buy as many as I used to, but a couple of books I have both hard copies and an electronic version. Sheesh. I think you're right. We all seem to be hoarders, it's just a matter of degree and what we hoard. Thanks Michelle.
Did you count the audio copy of Moby-Dick on my ipod? I may have a problem.
--Moby Addicted
Ha! That last comment is my wise-cracking husband! Sadly, he does have Moby Dick, the whooooooooole unabridged thing, on his ipod. He trained for a marathon listening to Moby Dick -- can you think of anything more torturous???? Like running 26.2 miles isn't bad enough?
Sorry H. Gillam -- Moby Dick on the ipod might sound appealing to you! ;)
Anyway, just wanted to say thanks, everyone, for admitting your hoarding tendencies here...I don't feel so alone now. I also have a shoe problem. Just thought I'd put that out there.
And my friend Viv has like 14 bottles of Windex in her pantry. I thought I'd take the opportunity to out her here!
Thanks, Ginny, for the opportunity to tell my confessions here today! :)
Michelle, I love this! When I saw the bookstack photo, I had a feeling where you were taking me. :) I'm asking Santa for a Kindle this Christmas, and I admit it's going to be a tough transition loading it up with lots of free classics instead of filling my bookshelves with their $3-5 printed counterparts. Nice post!
michelle... a well-written post, as always, and one that got my mind churning. i'm at home, now, with my parents, visiting, and their house is full of clutter, for they cannot part from things of the past, and it hurts me to see them surrounded by such hordes, but they find comfort in it. i'm praying for order to enter, and for peace of mind and space. love to you, this christmas season. e.
Hey Brock, Thanks for your comment here. I've thought about a Kindle, too -- it sure would make travel easier. But I am old-fashioned in my love of actual books in my hand.
Emily -- Praying for order in your family. I come from the opposite -- my dad is a military man. We had uber order in our house -- which is where I get it, of course. But that can be an extreme, too -- my dad was absolutely intolerant of any clutter. Their basement is the most pristine basement I have ever seen! I guess it has to be about balance...I am working on that! Love to you, too, Miss Em! Miss you on the blog...anticipating your return!
I'm not sure which is more fun... reading Michelle's post, or all of your comments! Haha. SO, SO glad we are not all alone in our hoarding addictions. I'm a military-born neat freak (though not to the extreme of Michelle's dad) married to a 'collector' who came from a family of 'collectors.' I've been called a Monica at times (think Friends) though I don't think I'm THAT bad.
Thanks, everyone, for your comments. And thanks, Michelle, for your awesome post.
Ginny, I've been called Monica, too -- and I have to admit, the shoe fits!
Well, I don't have a vacuum for my vacuum, so in my book, I'm not as bad--HAHA :o)