learning to let go of material possessions

10.55pm


question - can you cut yourself off from all material possessions?  did you know that according to buddhism, the origin of suffering is attachment. i know i know we are only human therefore we tend to hold on to our personal belongings or things we love and bought with our hard earned money (or for those rich folks, perhaps with your parents money?) well whichever way you got those items, does it make you very happy, deep down inside? do you go to your wardrobe and stare in amazement at all your wonderful expensive threads or your trendy handbags from milan or even stare lovingly at your bmw? what kinda satisfaction do you get out of it? a feeling of smugness yes?

ok i admit i do love my stuff obviously otherwise why would i even buy those things right? my drawers and cupboards are full. and when i start doing my spring cleaning, oh my goodness, i find clothes that i've totally forgotten about. have you ever gone thru that before? do you sit and wonder how the hell have you've managed to accumulate so much of stuff over the years and still holding on to it, when you hardly wear or use them?and later, once you've sorted your mind out, you finally decide but very hesitantly, to give them away to charity or to your friends/family.

you know, this year itself i've done like 4-5 spring cleaning sessions. i always feel a tinch of pain whenever im giving my stuff away. its like so sad to see my things go. i want to hold on to them if i could and have a huge wardrobe so i can fit everything and anything i want in there without having to do stupid spring cleaning. if i could i would but i cant. on the bright side i tell myself, my things are going to people who are in need of clothing or bags etc. there are people worst off than i am. so i do my bit of charity.

now i try to buy only things that i really want or need. i always remember what oprah said. 3 golden rules which is etched into my mind is -

ask yourself these questions.
1)do you really need it?
2)is it really necessary?
3)how often am i going to be using it?

and after i answer these questions inside my head, i try to switch my mind off and tell myself to be strong, i can do it, just turn and go, dont look back. but  if it was my birthday and my husband tells me to choose what i want, then i will think very carefully what i really really want and then buy it and make sure i use it.  

sometimes when we hold on to things, its considered hoarding. coz we dont want to let go at all. oprah said something like this- "if you didnt use it for a year and if it was lying in your closet all this while, then just get rid of it". well part of me agrees. other part tells me goes "umm...maybe i would need it next year or the following year?" what if....so many what ifs. in the end, i  just keep the item and thats when my crap starts to build up. and now, since i'll be moving out of my condo pretty soon, my husband has been telling me,(over the past 6 months or so), to either throw or give away items or clothing that is old or hardly used. ugh. i feel the pain!! dont you? when my husband does his spring cleaning, he just ploughs thru his stuff without batting an eyelid!! i dont know how he does it, seriously!!

you know people around the world are suffering all because of these so called material possessions. they have to make alot of money or want more money in order to buy all these expensive toys, items, clothings etc. honestly, we ought to learn to let go. coz when we die, we cant take all of it along with us now can we? course not. 

i bet you've met people who like show off their new bags, cars, clothes, condos etc .., at that point in time, tell me what is running thru your mind?  when i face these type of characters, what im thinking is - so what, what the big deal? ok fine, you are happy those things, but im happy too with my non branded stuff. i dont really care. and thats why i dont mix with people who like to show off their wealth or flaunt it infront of me. i have a few super rich close friends but they are so genuine and even though they have loads in their bank, they have never looked down at me or at others. otherwise i wouldnt be mixing with them. im no show off and therefore i do not like show offs. simple as that.


ttfn

11.54pm