Big dump

5/27/10 Well over 300 items, trashed or donated to Goodwill

Moving really throws mass consumption and consumer culture into focus. I am absolutely astounded by how much stuff we've got -- and I've been dancing around it all for years.

Today I took a car-load of clothing, bedding, and kitchen items to Goodwill. Seven bags and two boxes.

Then, I took two full trips to the Casco Transfer Station. My Subaru was packed front to back, floor to ceiling with stuff for The Dump. Two car-loads to the dump?!? That's outrageous. And it's doubly infuriating to know that every single item was something that, at one time, someone said, "I need to pay money for that."

Today marks Day 300 of the Downsizing Challenge, so perhaps is fitting that I downsized at least that many things. (I didn't officially count, but trust me: we got rid of way more than 300 items today.) But, there's no pride in trashing more items in a single day than most of the world's inhabitants will ever own in their entire lifetime.

Sure, I can take solace in the hope that the Goodwill donations will find their way into productive use with others, but I can't put a positive spin on all the dump detritus. Just going to take up space in a landfill. Oh, what a legacy I leave.

The important question may be whether Day 300 can teach me a lesson. When I move into my next house, will items slowly accumulate, like snow piling up during a blizzard? Will a year of getting rid of stuff make me more thoughtful about what I choose to get?

Will all this downsizing lead to a little less upsizing?

The landfills can only hope.