The Sum of My Possessions

I have been living off of the contents of three suitcases in early May. The rest of my life’s possessions are coming over from the US this week. They are to be delivered to my new place on Monday. But since I seem to living comfortably now, I am really beginning to question what the heck I need all that crap for?

I know the container has some useful or important items: pots, pans, dishes, art work. But there are probably 30-40 boxes and a dozen pieces of furniture to be delivered to my 900 square foot home. I know that I can live without most of that crap. In fact, the size of my new place is going to force me to do exactly that.

The items I thought I would need were bookshelves, furniture for my bedroom, a kitchen table and chairs, a coffee table, a couch and a stand for a TV. But my landlord–the owner of a fine furniture store–supplied me with all of these items of a quality much greater than the ones I own. Now I have at least a couple legitimately nice items (kitchen table and chairs, television stand) that will be incinerated next week.

I am about ready to commit an incredible sin against nature. It is the second offense that is the result of my misplanning. The first was that I burned God knows how much fossil fuel to move that crap over here. The upcoming sin is that these unwanted items are going right to an incinerator that is vented into the air above Malaysia.

I kind of hope that I can figure out some better way to dispose of those items. There are no landfills out here but certainly there is someone that wants free furniture. Unfortunately logistics are against me, as I do not yet have the connections to find a new owner and am spending this week in Japan.