What do you need?

No.  Not what do you want, or what would you like to have.  What do you need?

I've been learning a lot on this little adventure of mine.  One thing that's come back to me time and time again is how little we really need in life.  Aside from two boxes of seasonal (winter coat and boots and wellies) and household stuff (prints from an amazing Edmonton artist Aynsley Nisbet and my degree and some photos), everything I own fits in a 60L backpack and a laptop bag.  I lived in a tent for a full month on a twin size air mattress.

Want to know the two things I miss the most?

Friends my age and percolated coffee.

There is this phenomenon right now around hoarding - A&E and TLC, as far as I know, both have shows displaying this disastrous compulsion to collect.  Don't we all hoard, to an extent, though?

It's so easy to just hold on to things - clothes that don't quite fit, shoes that will come in handy "some day", purses, jackets, photos, broken frames, this, that, the other thing.  We keep them because all of us deep down have a desire to hoard.

When we were animals and primitive peoples, we needed to hoard materials and food for survival.  Well, it seems we still think we need to hold onto things "just in case".  But we won't die if we give up that sweater, or those shoes, or that $20 even, when it could go to good will or a charity and help someone who might actually be at risk of illness or death.

Recently, many of you may have already heard, a couple from Truro, Nova Scotia, won the lottery.  They are seniors and the wife of the couple is undergoing chemotherapy for cancer.  They won $11 million. And they gave it all away (except for a small amount which they are keeping for medical and other emergencies).  They first took care of family and friends.  Then they went to regional churches, fire departments, hospitals and charities and continued to cut checks until it was all gone.

How much better would the world be if we all kept only what we needed and helped others with the rest?

I know that's an idealistic concept, but think about it.

One of the most cleansing experiences I've had took place the night I left Edmonton.  I had huge boxes and bags waiting to go into storage.  It was 6:30 pm and my flight left at midnight.  At the last minute, rather than keep all my stuff in those boxes and bags, I went through it and kept only the essentials in two small boxes (about two cubic feet each) and everything else went into a huge garbage bag to be delivered to goodwill.

The thought crossed my mind: "If I'm not going to need these things in the next 6 months, will I ever need them?"

The next thought was: "If I'm not going to get any use out of this stuff in the next 6 months, someone should."

Walking away from Edmonton, knowing I could carry everything I would need, on my own, was one of the most liberating thoughts I've ever had.  Now, that's not to say I won't need to accumulate new things in the future, or that what you own is more than what you need.  It very well could be exactly what you need.  But if you can look around your house or apartment and find things that you haven't used in 6 months, you probably don't need them.

So consider why you're holding on.  If you can't think of a good reason (not "because I like it" because obviously you don't "like it" enough to "use it"), then donate it. 

A morbidly depressing, but valid, way to look at it is this: if you were to suddenly and unexpectedly pass away, would you want your next of kin to have to go through those things and decide what to do with it all?

I lived in a tent for a full month.  Everything I need fits in a 60L backpack and a laptop bag. What would you keep if you could only own enough "stuff" to fit in a large suitcase and a backpack or briefcase?  And could you bring yourself to part with the rest?