Lost and Found

My favourite piece of jewelry is missing. I owned it and kept it safe longer than anything else I've ever owned. It was a necklace made out of black cord with a simple, hollow copper ball adorned with a small, silver, Art Nouveau-ish fairy. There were delicate chimes inside the ball that tinkled gently when I shook it. I think they used to call these necklaces "harmony balls," back in the day when they were popular. I wore it frequently for almost thirty years, and it went with me everywhere. It was the sort of personal item one might give a psychic who gathers information by holding something that belongs to the person they're reading. I don't think there's anything I own that has my imprint on it more than my hippy-dippy harmony ball, wherever it may be. It was my signature piece, and had my "vibes" all over it.
So why am I publicly lamenting the loss of a cherished necklace on my little web? I know I'm the only one who cares, which is at it should be. It was just a thing, after all. It's just stuff. It's just part of the stuff that we collect or hoard as we go through life. It's market value wasn't worth the time spent on e-bay trying to sell it. It's only value was sentimental, and only to me. No big loss.
I've been getting rid of stuff for over 4 years now. A couple of moves from one place to another forced me to reduce what I own so that I could fit into my new digs. The process of throwing stuff out, or giving it away, was long and hard. But it felt great. I was purging myself of a lifetime of junk - stuff that I hadn't used or even looked at in many years. It was just taking up space. It made me feel crowded.
My adventures in moving in the last 4 years have streamlined me. When sifting through the heaps of stuff that was my life, I followed a simple rule, first espoused by John Ruskin (1819 - 1900), art critic and essayist, to keep only what is beautiful or useful. The real trashy stuff, and I couldn't believe how much I had, I threw out. There was a lot that was still in good condition and certainly useful, but if it was redundant, I gave it to charity. Fortunately, there was a lot that was recyclable as well. The result of all this is that now I own less than I have my entire adult life, and can contain it in two medium-size rooms. I love it, and now I love myself more, too.
One of the best habits that I've developed in the last four years is the constant maintenance of keeping what I own to a minimum. If I acquire new stuff because well-meaning friends and relatives give me gifts, I give away at least two items for every one I receive. It's challenging, because I do need a certain amount of "stuff" to live comfortably, and still be able to express my individuality. Some variety is necessary to spice up life, and that includes changes in my appearance and environment.
One of my goals in life is to have no stuff left when I die. I'm slightly facetious about that, of course, but I try to stick to that guideline when making decisions about whether I should acquire something or not. And it works.
So maybe the Universe is testing me with my recent loss. No matter how I measure it, it wasn't a deep loss at all. I am grateful for all that I have, which is much, and includes first and foremost, my health. I was probably too attached to my necklace. But I'm much more attached to my neck, which doesn't need the necklace at all. (Sorry about the bad pun. It just came out that way.)
The mid-winter sun shines brightly outside my window, and I must be going. I'm attached to my legs and feet, too, and look forward to walking and breathing in the crisp, winter air. Losing an article that I thought I would just die if I ever lost, and then I didn't die, has made me appreciate the truest, most real, and enduring things that matter in life. Most of those things aren't "stuff" at all. I won't bother to name them, because you know what they are.
Blessed be.
- G.P.