Cats, a Couch, Boxes, and the Inventory of Life
At year-end where I have my day job, it means the grueling and thankless job of taking inventory and it takes days and days. The company was founded in 1978 and some of the inventory is so old I think it dates back to then. Boxes, totes, pallets, and containers are filled with product and small parts and many of them are caked with dirt and grime as they wait for the annual counting ritual. Heaven forbid we throw any of the old stuff away in case we might need it for some obscure reason and I come home exhausted – every bone in my body aches and all I want to do is shower and crash on my favorite spot on the couch to watch some mindless TV.
As I was driving home after finally finishing the count yesterday it got me to thinking about cats, boxes and the inventory of life. All the stuff we accumulate throughout the years – photos, clothes, shoes, knick-knacks, paperwork, furniture, technological wonders, jewelry, books, appliances, and on and on – we store it all in boxes of one sort or another that become a metaphorical Russian babushka doll. You know what I mean – those hand painted nesting dolls that decrease in size with one placed inside the other.
For example – the shoes fit into the shoe box. The shoe box fits into the closet. The closet fits into the bedroom. The bedroom fits into an even larger box called our house or apartment. The house becomes part of the neighborhood, the neighborhood part of the city, the city part of the county, the county part of the state, the state part of the country, the country part of the continent and on and on. Face it – we all live in a box of one shape or another and we are all part of the grand inventory of the infinite universe. Come to think of it – we are born in the most amazing box of all, the womb, and when we die we are also put in a box, whether it be a casket, an urn, or something less conventional.
Wow. Profound and overwhelming to say the least. But there’s more – we have the boxes such as our car that is nothing more than a box with wheels that takes us to other boxes such as a job with an office or a cubicle. Or maybe we take an airplane shaped box to lands unknown to explore stuff that other people have. Or sometimes we get tired of our boxes and our stuff and buy new stuff or we move to a new box.
Seen here is Kizmet in the proverbial “cat in the empty box” photo!
All these boxes and all that stuff and yet I find that I spend the majority of my time in a very tiny box and I find the same to be true of my cats. Not in the traditional sense that cats love boxes – I am talking more about all the stuff my cats have accumulated as inventory via me. They have all kinds of cat condos and pet beds that they love. They also have comfortable human beds to sleep on, sun puddles to nap in, and counters and book shelves to nap on. Their favorite place to be? On a very overcrowded 4’ x 5’ elongated cushion that Dan and I share on the couch each night.
Happy cats snuggled on a bed… but eventually all will end up on the couch with Dan and I.
But the same goes for Dan and I. We have a nice home with lots rooms, but unless we have company, we invariably spend most of our time in the living room… next to each other on that 4’ x 5’ elongated couch cushion that we share with seven cats. Typically I am covered with one or two of them on my lap and the others are either next to us or behind us.
Pardon the horrible quality of this photo, but this is an actual “selfie” to illustrate an evening on our 4′ x 5′ piece of real estate. L to R – Mia, Zoey on my legs, Rolz, and Dan’s feet. Not seen, but with us, is Harley next to my chest, and Peanut, Zee, and Kizmet on the other side of Dan!
It’s an interesting observation – all that space yet we seek out the company of one another. And all that personal stuff that we have accumulated – yes, some of it is very nice, but not withstanding the everyday essential items to life, very rarely do we use or appreciate everything that we have. We have a storage shed filled with stuff, a garage filled with packed boxes that have not been opened for years, and a guest room with a closet jammed full of more stuff.
All I know is that years ago it all seemed so important. But the older I get, the more I truly realize it’s really more about the love, friendship, and relationships we have, both human and animal kind. That kind of inventory can typically be counted on one hand and the value is priceless.
Lovely post! I like to think that it’s a sign of wisdom that we realize that we don’t need as much stuff as we thought we did as we get older. I find that many of my friends around our age, including me, are simplifying and downsizing. To me, there’s something freeing about getting rid of stuff that no longer serves us. It makes focusing on what really matters a lot easier.
You are so right, Ingrid. I feel liberated just cleaning junk out of the refrigerator, so I can only imagine how freeing it must be to downsize. I am getting closer and closer to that life-changing decision myself.
Lovely Post <3
My mom-person have too came to the age of realizing that it doesn´t matter who have most stuff when you die 🙂
XOXO
Kjelle Bus – your mom-person is very wise indeed!
What a thoughtful post. It’s so true, we get overwhelmed with the burden of our stuff when we really only use or need a fraction of it. Society gives us messages that we need so much stuff, but in reality, stuff can be toxic (just ask anyone who has cleaned up after a hoarding family member). It’s the ones we love that matter, and they are part of an entirely different kind of inventory — one about gratitude instead of about things.
Sometimes, Cats Herd You – I can only imagine how toxic it would be dealing with a hoarding situation. I often think of my kids and what it will be like when I am gone – all that stuff and the responsibility they will have of trying to figure out what to do with it all… It is the ones we love that matter the most…
I SO loved this Deb. This is like the thoughtful and insightful counterpart to George Carlin’s old comedy routine about “stuff.”
The kitties are definitely onto something though. So happy and content with the simplest of boxes and the love of their family.
xo
GG
Glogirly – you certainly hit the nail on the head with the George Carlin reference! I felt I was channeling his spirit when I wrote the post and I am glad you were able to see that!
Wonderful post. . .I so need to do this very thing myself!! Love the George Carlin reference mentioned above! It is so true!! I need to get my butt in gear and get some things done myself!! Thanks for reminding me to ‘get with it’!! (Vegeta’s mom from showmecats). . .love and purrayers. . . <3
Yep! Stuff, stuff and more stuff…that sits there in boxes…
So why does my Dad keep bringing more home?
Kisses
Nellie
Deb I think this has to be my FAVORITE post of yours. I LOVE IT!! Love your logic and it so resonated with me! It’s soooo true!
Well, thank you Caren! I’m glad you enjoyed it and found the logic to resonate with you!!
We’re feeling much the same over here – and as we have parents who are aging and needing to be moved to safer places, we’re seeing how much stuff they have accumulated. Stuff that might be nice, but in the grand scheme of things are only…THINGS. And in their situation, that “stuff” is actually a liability to be dealt with. *sighhh*
We agree, the important stuff aren’t the things – they’re the people, both 2- and 4-legged ones.
What perfect timing you have my dear. As you know Mark and I are seriously considering a move….not sure which direction the wind will take us…maybe your direction maybe back to California or maybe just a town or two north of us….It’s just time for a change and as Mark and I discuss this….time to de-clutter our lives. We’ve de-cluttered a few humans out of our lives and now it’s time to de-clutter like you said….the “stuff”….the “stuff” we once thought so important.
In reality what is truly important is either sitting next to you on the sofa or curled up in your lap….the rest is just “stuff”. I do love the direction we both seem to be going….Life is Good!
Good point, Toni… the clutter does not have to be items per se, but it can be bad people, a bad job, a bad relationship, etc. It goes hand in hand with the post I did on starting the New Year on better mental and emotional footing. I do hope wherever the wind will take you, that you are wildly happy and content. Just our two-cents, but we would love it if you landed in our direction!!
I enjoyed that post, and I agree, those are some wise observations!!!
Lately, the mom has been getting rid of a lot of that stuff she’s been hanging on to. She finds that the stuff just doesn’t matter as much anymore. Great post, Miss Deb.
I tend to keep stuff and thus, there is clutter in my life. I’ve found that as I start to get rid of some of that clutter, my life doesn’t feel so overwhelmed either.
We always just love your pictures. M says – boy do we know about stuff. Try accumulating stuff for 53 years. We’re slowly trying to get rid of some of it. I love the face you have all the cats with you when sitting on the sofa. Talk about contentment!!
Really loved this post Deb. At lot of stuff I used to think was important isn’t so much anymore to me either as I’ve gotten older. But; I still do have some stuff. LOL.
Very profound post. Every yeaer TW says she’s getting rid of everything; all the clutter but every year she just gets more. She always thinks she’ll sell stuff on ebay but doesn’t even have an account. The only stuff she ever gets rid of is mine. It’s just not fair. Next week, the woman from A Call 4 Paws will be here to pick up my old beds, cat tree, toys and some of the food we’ve won. It’s just not fair.
Wow, CK… so dreadfully unfair. I say we just collect TW’s stuff while she is sleeping and put it out curbside for people to pick over. Man… I hope you get a break in 2014 from this madness…
Collecting “stuff” is such a very human thing to do (and maybe magpies!). Stuff becomes our security to buffer us against the vicissitudes of life! My brother is moving house after 26 years and he is finding his stuff has memories both happy and not-so happy. He is decluttering his life and it is not easy. You are so right. What is important is relationships, friendships and love. x
Great post-it’s so true that we all seek out each other more often than choosing to be on our own.
guys…yur momz day job… box countin… iz a purrson werst nite mare in de day
….anda kittehz dreem come troo… all day everee day 24/7 day boxes all oh shapes
N sizes kittehz bee in box heaven day !!!
🙂