Day # 191 Stuff

I have stuff.  George Carlin has my number.  I love my stuff.  There are two types of stuff that I love the most:  Motorcycles and Guitars.

Now that I am a geezer I realize that I have more than a few of both types of stuff. At the same time that I have gathered about me motos and axes aplenty,  I am actively developing strategies that will allow me to live and work abroad.  It is obvious to me that these two pursuits, acquiring and travelling, are not compatible with each other.  Something, it seems, has to give.

The other day I made a list; a list of my guitars and my motos.  I love making lists.  Checklists get me through complicated projects.  I cannot, for instance, say to myself "I'm going to build a new race bike" and then set about to do it.  I can, however, make a list of all of the things I need to buy, build or scavenge that will amount to a race bike.  Once I have the a list, I can start down a path of checking off this item or that item until, surprise, there is a new race moto sitting in my shop.

As I said, the other day I made a list, a list of things, the stuff, that I love the most.  In the last column of the list was where the action item lived.  There where three choices:  Sell It, Keep It or Undecided.  Seeing the choices in written down was a revelation.  Is it possible that I could actually part with either a moto or a musical instrument?  For proof I needed to look no further than the Craigslist ad that I placed last week in which I offered up for sale my 1979 Fender Vibrolux amp.  It is true, I swear it!

Have I since sold all of my stuff and renounced the allure of worldly goods?  No, I have not.  I have, however, relaxed, ever so slightly, my death grip on some of my most important things.  I guess there is some real hope that I can let slip the shackles of possession.  The truth is that the only way I part with my stuff is for the reward of further and lighter travel.

College Classes?  Selling off guitars?  The lure of living and working abroad is strong indeed.