How do you feel about your collection of "stuff"

As we age, we collect things. We pick up mementoes as we travel, we acquire things our kids left with us, promising to return for them once they're settled, and we just plain buy things faster than we toss them.

So how do we feel about this "stuff" of our lives? Is it comforting? Too hard to clean around? A burden or a joy?

Here's an article I read in the New York Times today which addresses the topic well.

It points out that everywhere we turn, we are barraged with orders to pare down, throw away, de-clutter. But should we?

Is it not human to accumulate, admire, desire, love, collect and display things which we find beautiful? Things that speak to us, remind us of past times, or just plain make us feel good?

What do you think, ladies?

I cherish items I inherited from momma's house. But I could part with things collected from my personal life. Material things aren't what's important. People are what's important and the memories imparted by those personalities. The memories left behind by people who've touched our lives shape who we are. Awesome people have crossed my path and I'm so thankful for those beautiful souls.

We don't want to create too cluttered nests that it inhibits from functioning well so that we can do things without wasting too much finding something.

I agree with all of us, the need to keep some cherished things that evoke great memories or signify something we created from our hands.

I got more than necessary stuff..across 2 city locations. Anyway....

Orchid, how frustrating is it when the thing you want is at your other location? You strike me as being a very organized person, so maybe this never happens to you.

But when we first moved to Galena, we lived in one apartment and worked in another. Both had kitchen, full bath, living/dining area and 1 or 2 bedrooms. I ended up stocking both kitchens, so that we ate breakfast/lunch at the "office," and dinner at "home." This always meant some duplication of foodstuffs, and remembering what was where...