All my possessions fit in a Volkswagen Beetle
when I moved from San Diego to Austin in 1970
to study philosophy, the love of wisdom.
Now, 1700 miles north and east,
my wife and I own a house full of possessions.
We like to believe they improve our lives,
that our things serve us and those we welcome,
that our things do not own us or possess us,
that we are not their servants.
See how we ignore the stacks
of things that proliferate!
See how the dust bunnies accumulate!
Let it all burn to the ground,
our lives will be unchanged,
or so we would like to believe,
we who would be free,
pursuers of truth,
students still.

 

Photo of a young woman moving her possessions into a new apartment in Georgetown, Washington, D.C.
Photo and text copyright 2018 by Danny N. Schweers
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Comments

Tina wrote:
How timely this is! I’ve been recently thinking a lot about all my stuff and how stressful it is just deciding which of the dozens pair of shoes to wear or finding the one earring from the dozens of pairs of earrings that matches that other earring. Your photo prayer is a reminder and encouragement that it is time for/to change. Thank you!

Bill wrote:
Good. May we all be students still.

Holly wrote:
Just saw Ry Cooder last night at the Mann. He was fantastic. One of the songs off of his new album is “You Must Unload”, about this very topic!

Maryann wrote:
As I contemplate my own move to a much smaller space, as a student, what is essential shifts dramatically.

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