Out with the crap

It’s almost comical how much stuff we’ll put up with

Stuff annoys me. It really gets under my skin. After I’ve suffered along with some poorly made crummy object for years I don’t know why I don’t just pitch it. I don’t know why, but I don’t.

I have a pair of shoes that have literally been broken for over a year and I continue to wear them. Even though the heel constantly folds over inside and crams my toes into the end of the shoe I don’t throw them out. As far as shoes go my running shoes, which have never been used to run, have blown out at the ball of my foot and look like something I bought at a garage sale second-hand. I still continue to plod along in them. Why? Why do I not get a new pair of shoes? I wish I knew.

If I knew that I might be able to determine why I keep my belt. It’s a belt that I bought probably too large, then proceeded to lose a few pounds (through no efforts of my own, thanks a lot diabetes meds) so I had about a foot of belt end that I couldn’t hide. Did I go buy a new belt? Hell no! I got out the scissors and hacked off the end of it. This of course looks very professional. You’d have thought I would have taken the opportunity to give the belt to charity since its buckle is designed with the sharpest edges and corners allowable under the Geneva Convention (who knew this was addressed). All that means is that my gut, which still hangs around despite the weight loss, is gouged on a daily basis. It’s painful. So why do I do nothing about it, what holds me back?

The problem isn’t money. Not that I’m rich or anything but I can go buy another belt with a kinder buckle and of the right length for around $15. I can afford a new pair of shoes. Heck I’m so flush with cash I can probably get two if I shop around a little. So, money isn’t the issue.

Maybe it’s time. Maybe I’m so darn busy that I just can’t fit in a trip to the department store or Walmart. Maybe my high level talks with NASA or OPEC or the Trump administration have so monopolized my time that I’m just too pressed. Damn this whole space-traveling, oil-rigging and making America really great again stuff! Without it I might find myself in Target or Cabela’s once in a while. Yeah, that’s probably it. Or not.

Maybe I’m just lazy. Maybe I’m just a slob: a slothful, sinful pile of goo that won’t even lift a finger to fix the things that bug the heck out of him. I have to say, this might unfortunately hit the nail on the head. Ouch! Fortunately for me, I have an out.

Luckily today is Thursday. Luckily I’m like the actor Peter Finch in Network. I’ve had enough. While I’m not going to stick my head out the window and yell “I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore.” I’m ready to make a change. I am going to stop putting up with stuff that bothers me. I’m not talking about people, mind you, I’m just talking about inanimate objects. I’m talking about those things that make my day a little more frustrating.

I’m going to get rid of the crummy shoes and the bad belts. I’m going to give away the broken stuff and the stuff that sits around in the way that I trip over or stub my toe on in the middle of the night. I’m not specifically talking about minimalism but that could be part of it. I’m going to straighten that picture that always hangs crookedly or just take it down altogether. I’m going to replace that buzzing ceiling fan, fix the refrigerator door that won’t stay open and replace the lightbulb in the bathroom so it’s not so dingy and depressing in there. Oh, the things I will do! Oh the happiness that will be mine!

I amaze myself sometimes (and not in a good way) about how I’ll allow bunches of little annoying things to accumulate and muck up my life. I’ll bet I’m not alone in this and I hope my declaration to take care of some of these things encourages you. If you know someone who needs a boost in that direction I hope you’ll share this.

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