This One Is Going To Be Hard For Me.
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My life has been a roller-coaster. From extreme poverty to extreme (in my terms) wealth.

A few years ago I left my ex-wife (OK - I was kicked out) and ended up, in my rented flat, with my life in about 4 bin-bags.

I can clearly remember looking at them and thinking:

"Is that it? Is that what I've worked my arse off for?"

A few books, some clothes, some of my test equipment. Everything else was still at my ex-wife's home. My DVD collection, my massive library, my computers, my fishing gear, in short, pretty much everything.

In the nasty divorce that followed I was royally screwed. I wasn't allowed any access to any of *my* possessions. So I left it, walked away from my life.

It was strangely liberating.

You see, all that, it's just *stuff*.

It's things you pick up on your way through life and, most of it, you can replace with newer, shiner stuff.

Yes, I missed some of it. And yes, I boiled when I found out my ex was giving my things away to people she knew I didn't like in order to piss me off. But, in the end, it was just stuff.

I can't really get emotionally attached to inanimate objects.

Things happen in life that you have little control over. At any second, Loki can wave his wand and your house burns down, you lose your job, you become incapable of working and you lose the lot.

But don't worry. It's only stuff.

Stuff can be replaced. The people you love, the people you care for, can't be.

And even Loki can't take away the thing that matters the most to me. My memory.

Cheers
( Legless Mister Stabby - shanks for the memory, Thu 8 May 2008, 13:18, 10 replies)

Dear god,
You make me want to vomit.
( gareth_alien will be human again at, Thu 8 May 2008, 13:21, closed)

This is true!
It's only recently I've got to the stage where I've got stuff. Before that it was easy come and easy go. I guess I'm settling down for my old age now.
( girlinthehole, Thu 8 May 2008, 13:22, closed)

memories - with you on that one
look further down on todays QTOW

sympatico!
( spimf ™ is whoever you want him to be, Thu 8 May 2008, 13:24, closed)

Oh, I quite agree
It is all stuff and I'm sure it would be liberating not to have it.
( gareth_alien will be human again at, Thu 8 May 2008, 13:26, closed)

agreed, Legless
I spent last summer living out of a small rucsac and wasn't at all prepared for the reverse culture shock when I got home and stood, stunned, in my flat thinking "why do I own all this stuff".

(Of course, I got used to the stuff again very quickly, but I agree with you - material things are replacable; people and memories aren't.)
( crackhouseceilidhband Fuck off back to Mumsnet, Thu 8 May 2008, 13:27, closed)

Been there
done that. Sold the T-shirt to pay rent. You, sir, are so fucking right.

although sometimes alcohol steals my memory, the bastard.
(loutre I've said too much, been too unkind, Thu 8 May 2008, 13:28, closed)

Still
you got some free bin-bags out of her...
( chthonic, Thu 8 May 2008, 13:32, closed)

.
Nice one. IMO stuff absolutely rocks. I'm attached to my laptop like Helen Keller was attached to her fingers.
( browser still relating boring anecdotes into a void on, Thu 8 May 2008, 17:10, closed)

Hail Eris
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( DukeEuphoria Comes highly reccomended, Thu 8 May 2008, 18:05, closed)