Sunday, May 18, 2008

Possessions

William blogged about possessions and it started me thinking about a TV special that I watched some time ago. A wildlife photographer and his wife bought an RV and equipped it to be self-sufficient in the wilderness. They would travel to some pretty remote places and be there for several weeks or even months at a time. I thought how different my possessions would be without anyone besides my husband and wild things around. They would be trimmed down quite a bit. No need for space to entertain--squirrels and deer prefer the outdoor motif. No need to have clothing beyond safety parameters--What Not to Wear turns into What You Had Better Wear. Pretty shiny things would be work-related to attract the ones you wanted to take pictures of. Vehicles would be minimal and also work-related. Entertaining myself would be more active, although I think laptops would be part of the work equipment; I am not sure that Internet would be available all of the time. It is fun to think about what you would value enough to make space for, and what you have that is for social necessities or personal desires.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't think I have too much that is a social necessity. Maybe that's bad. Laura's been trying to convince me I need new work pants. Just because I work in an office and my pants all have big noticeable stains and holes and are tattered all over doesn't mean I NEED new clothes... right?... right?.... anyone?... OK, OK, maybe I do need some new clothes.

Queen Mum said...

Maybe she is right. 'she seems to know what to do to dress the kids nicely and she always looks good, so you can probably trust her on this onel Hope you guys are feeling better tomorrow.

Good night I love you. i pray for all of us. Nighty nightyeucdfv

S said...

One necessity would be Snickers. Gotta have it especially if you can't just go to the store any time you want.

Laura said...

thank you queen mum for your vote of confidence =). It is funny that in the 10 years I have been married to Gabe, I am still nervous about shopping for him lol. He likes certain fit pants, he likes certain colors, he has come around on a few things, but he definitely has an opinion. Soooo....we are going to have to go shopping together soon. I'll tell him it's for me so he will go, then I will turn it around on him =). I just read Fire of the Covenant by Gerald Lund about the Martin and Willie handcart companies. It made me sad that they took only the things that were most precious to them, and then in the end had to leave those things too. What is my most precious material thing????? I think it's my camera and family pictures....

Unknown said...

Take away that tv, cell phone, and laptop and imagine all of the additional time we would have to do the things we want to, but never get to. I still think people are silly. To possess is a Godly trait, but we prioritize poorly, at times, what our focus on possessing should be.

Anonymous said...

Yeah. I'm the type of person who tries to stick to necessities, but sometimes I get confused as to exactly what necessities are. How do you decide? Underwear is definitely a necessity in any situation. And TP.

Laura said...

You know....our electricity was out for oh....for at least 15 hours. It's amazing what posessions become useless that were once absolute "necessities" lol.

pappasan said...

Think of all the things you want, then think of all the things you need. There is a big difference. Could we get along without the things we want?? Yes. I don't think To Possess is a Godly trait, I believe it is a man trait. Jesus himself had nothing, per say, and that what he did have, he used for the good of total strangers. If you look over the last 100 years, each of us has more than our parents did. Do we need it? Not really, some maybe for the convinience of it. I think for parents with younger children, the parents should put all towards the rearing of those children. I can go without, but my children cannot.