Thoreau, Part Two

I want to clarify something I just said--well, something I just quoted Thoreau as saying: “Most of the luxuries and many of the so-called comforts of life are not only not indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind.”

I have nothing against "luxuries," "comforts of life," nice things, etc. In fact, nobody appreciates beautiful objects more than I do.

But like I said earlier (Time Is Running Out!), I've been moving boxes of stuff (aka junk) around the country, from coast to coast, for years, and it's gotten to the point where it feels like I don't own my stuff, it owns me.

Case in point: my baby plate.

My mother had lovingly preserved my baby food plate (pictured above). (You put hot water in it and it keeps the food warm during long feeding sessions.)

So I dutifully kept it wrapped carefully in bubble wrap and packed in a box. I've been hauling it around from home to home with me for my entire adult life.

For what?

I don't need a fricking baby plate. It's not like it was on display and I was enjoying it.

So I sold it on eBay last week for twenty bucks.

If other people want to own a bunch of nice stuff, good for them, but in my current state of mind, most of the stuff I have just seems like a huge burden.

Good-bye baby chicks!