Just things

I hadn't intended to clear my room but rummaging through one box of knick-knacks whilst looking for a tablet cable turned into a room-wide turn-out. Because the dust and all those things were such an eyesore.

I have so many things. Just nothing in particular - that little strip of plastic you get from bottle caps, pebbles that might have glinted in a special way the night I decided to keep them, one side of a ear piece muff, dismantled pieces of what's supposed to be a toy from a Kinder Surprise etc. 

And I have other things as well, the things that people gave me because it's customary to give people things when it's their birthday or Christmas or when they're going away or when they've just arrived. So I get a lot of things that I don't need and, by extension, don't use. Wallets and notebooks are the most common. Bookmarks are a 'casual acquaintance'-favourite. Pens are from 'your grown-up friends'. Make-up is from aunts who're wondering why you still look like a teenager even though you're clearly almost working. 

I know not all are fortunate to have this gripe so I'm treading warily as I type. But this is also why I think we should stop getting each other things. Things that cost money, money that could be better spent elsewhere. Things that could have been better placed in another's hands. I don't need a lot of things to be happy. I don't have space in my room for things. 

I like using my things till they don't look like the thing they're meant to resemble i.e. stop telling me to change my wallet if I like it and it still operates as a money cum card holder (and stop trying to get me to change it by buying new wallets for me haha). 

I seriously hope this Salvation Army thing works because I'm going to start making regular trips down so that my things will be put to better use. Instead of staying home and fraternizing with all its dust bunny buddies. Let's break it up, boys.

And in the future, let's just agree to give people things with greater intentionality, shall we? OK, good.