# Sometimes I resent being tied down by physical possessions **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 7, 2005, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-i-resent-being-tied-down-by-physical-possessions/298229 "2005-04-07T15:47:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Carter_of_Mars)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-i-resent-being-tied-down-by-physical-possessions/298229/21 "2005-04-08T03:06:55Z")
Hey, Gal: Don’t you be thinkin’ about gettin’ rid of your stuff. You have reached that _certain age_ when a dowry might be appropriate at any time. If you keep your belongings, maybe your ma won’t have to sell her coon dogs to get you married off. Heard down at the Jiffy-Stop in Pelahatchie, M’sippi: “Hey Bobby, that Jess, she’s got lots of cool things. Got her some CD’s and jewelry and an iron bedstead and a buncha’ books. Feller could do lots worse than windin’ up with her, I’ll tell ya’.” “Yeah, Billy Joe, but whatcha’ gonna do with all them books?” “Hell, Bobby; some of them new trailers come with book shelves already in ‘em. You get hooked up with that gal, you don’t have to go to the Goodwill and buy a buncha’ books to fill them shelves up. She’s already got 'em.” “Damn, Billy Joe, you’re right. I never thought about it that-a-way. How much stuff you reckon she’s got?” “At least a pickup load. Maybe two truckloads, iffin you don’t stack it right. Her mom’s got a good coondog too. Maybe the dog comes with the girl? Maybe?” “I don’t know what to do, Billy Joe. Coondog or not, she’s lookin’ pretty good lately, after she got back from all them places up North. She learnt some stuff up there too. Last week when I was pickin’ up a new saw chain at the feed store she kept them folks in there laughin’ for a half-hour, tellin’ about all the funny things she seen up North. Billy Joe, you ‘spect she’d see me, if I went callin’ on her?” Cain’t hurt to try, Bobby. Iffin’ my first ex-wife wasn’t raisin’ so much hell about increasin’ the child support, I’d go callin’ on her myself. Girl that’s got all them\* possessions\* and can crack jokes and looks good too, hey! What’s to lose by tryin’?" “Yeah, thanks, B.J. Guess I’ll clean up after work Friday and ease on over her way. Whatcha’ think she likes to do?” “Take her out dancin’, Bobby. Girls like dancin’. _The Wooden Nickle_ is gonna have a good country band playin’ this weekend. Take her dancin’.” “B.J., you’re a real buddy. You can be best man when we get hitched up. But you can’t have none of the CD’s.” ``` ~~~~~ ``` So see, M’sippi lass, all those _THINGS_ of yours will come in handy one day soon. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Canby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Canby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canby)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-i-resent-being-tied-down-by-physical-possessions/298229/22 "2005-04-08T03:16:38Z")
> [@manhattan](#): > > And to think that some people have physical possessions designed specifically for that purpose. > [@Epimetheus](#): > > Such as? 😉 I’m sure he’d answer that, but he can’t actually get to the computer right now… ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-i-resent-being-tied-down-by-physical-possessions/298229/23 "2005-04-08T03:39:58Z")
I used to be able to throw everything I own in the back of my car and move halfway across the country. Now I have a dozen teacups inherited from gramma, a beautiful inlaid dresser inherited from grampa, and the desk my other grampa built for me when I was in grade school. And the rug I bought in Tangier, the old hand-painted tin trays and fancy serving platters from the farm, and three plants from funerals. If it was just “stuff” I could throw everything I own into the back of my car and move halfway across the country, but it’s not just “stuff” to me. _sigh_ ---
**Author:** ![Antonius\_Block](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/51bf81/32.png) [@Antonius\_Block](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antonius_Block)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-i-resent-being-tied-down-by-physical-possessions/298229/24 "2005-04-08T04:33:45Z")
**John Carter of Mars** , that was some good writin’ there in post #21. Not that I’ve ever met **Mississippienne** , so I’m hoping that there’s nothing that she would find offensive. Anyway, I really enjoyed reading your post. Perhaps you could write some more: I’m particularly fond of honeybees, gold-panning, and Eastern European brides. 🙂 [back on topic] I’ve spent the last few years trying to pare down possessions. The Web has certainly helped me there; I used to have tons of reference materials, databooks, and newspaper clippings, now I just have hard drives with _massive_ Dewey-Decimal-organized download directories. A scanner has really helped, too. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-i-resent-being-tied-down-by-physical-possessions/298229/25 "2005-04-08T05:50:37Z")
> [@Duke of Rat](#): > > I finally narrowed it down to an ashtray, a paddle game, a remote control, some matches, a magazine, a lamp, a thermos and a chair. But all I have now is this thermos. Careful! Don’t forget the first rule of the SDMB! ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-i-resent-being-tied-down-by-physical-possessions/298229/26 "2005-04-08T14:53:04Z")
I’d like to experience being tied down by physical possessions so that I can contrast the two lifestyles and see which I prefer. Due to various circumstances in my life, I have lost almost everything that had any value to me from my early years. As an example, I’m slowly rebuilding my personal library for the fourth time. I’d like to see what it’s like to live on a 100 acre estate with a six bedroom house and enough clothes where I could go for a month without doing laundry and have a change every day. I’d like to be able to walk into a room in that house designated as a library and have my books on shelves instead of in boxes stacked against a wall. I’d like a 50 inch plasma TV and all the trimmings. Etc. Just for research purposes, mind you. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-i-resent-being-tied-down-by-physical-possessions/298229/27 "2005-04-08T14:59:01Z")
**Clothahump** , you’ve got a valid point there. My malaise could very well be caused by not having\* enough \* stuff! Or a big enough place to put it in. I would like to sign up if anyone needs volunteers to test this theory. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-i-resent-being-tied-down-by-physical-possessions/298229/28 "2005-04-08T15:05:19Z")
> [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > Careful! Don’t forget the first rule of the SDMB! That’s “A”, as opposed to “The”. I just thought how the OP reminded me of that scene. How he was just gonna leave it all behind, didn’t need any material possesions, except just… Gotta admit, he would have looked weird toting a cast iron bed. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-i-resent-being-tied-down-by-physical-possessions/298229/29 "2005-04-08T17:09:26Z")
Tried it once. Immediately out of high school – one month after graduation I was scheduled to leave for boot camp. My folks were in the middle of a divorce at the same time, so the future of my bedroom was in peril and I couldn’t just leave everything there like your typical college student. I spent that June getting rid of everything I had in my life. Got rid of my TV, my Commodore 64 (and SX 64), stereo, loads of 70’s era electronic gadgets (my oscilloscope, some old CB radios, tons of resistors and capacitors, lots of TTL chips). I set foot in Great Lakes Naval Training Center with the following: Sneakers Socks Skivvies Worn jeans T-Shirt (“The Police”) Belt Shaving kit Razor Big can of shaving cream Comb Wallet They promtly relieved me of my shaving cream (only 10oz and smaller was allowed for some reason) and my comb ("Put your hands on your heads… What do you feel? NOTHING! What do you need a comb for?) That was an interesting separation between my civilian life and my military life. Total freedom from Stuff. Within a year I was already carting around about a carload of junk :(. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-i-resent-being-tied-down-by-physical-possessions/298229/30 "2005-04-08T19:05:28Z")
> [@Enginerd](#): > > You can find books in libraries everywhere. They’re not _your_ books, but the words and ideas aren’t any different. > > . I defy you to find my 1960 _World Book_ (less the “L” book), or my hardcover book version of the September 1966 _Scientific American_, which was all about computers, in any library. Well, of course you’d find the magazine version, but that’s not the same. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-i-resent-being-tied-down-by-physical-possessions/298229/31 "2005-04-08T19:37:35Z")
Am I the only one disappointed to find no bondage tales whatsoever in this thread? ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-i-resent-being-tied-down-by-physical-possessions/298229/32 "2005-04-09T03:51:32Z")
Possessions? _Possessions?_ Nothing ties you down like a house. All the stuff for taking care of it, all the time spent taking care of it, all the stuff in it, all the stuff that gets crammed in the garage, all the stuff that the inlaws clear out of _their_ garage and give to you to cram into your garage, and then kids come with all _their_ crap, and it’s _new_ crap every year, and… Well, when I moved in, I cried. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-i-resent-being-tied-down-by-physical-possessions/298229/33 "2005-04-09T04:00:05Z")
> [@Zoe](#): > > I read a description once of early setllers in this country who liked being able to have the freedom to put out the fire, call the dog, and move on. That image has stayed with me. I would guess those settlers would have given anything, the fire and the dog, to have a safe, stationary home where they could accumulate possessions. I mean, that’s why they were called **"Settlers."** Should you be emotionally attached to your things? Of course not. If my house burned down tomorrow I’d happily roast marshmallows in the flames if my wife and cats were safely outside. But I have insurance. I can buy new things. Oh, and I would. I am not married to my possessions, but having them is great. Tie me down? Pfffft. ---
**Author:** ![Black\_Train\_Song](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4da419/32.png) [@Black\_Train\_Song](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Black_Train_Song)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-i-resent-being-tied-down-by-physical-possessions/298229/34 "2005-04-09T04:19:27Z")
I can identify pretty well with **Mississippiennes** whole idea. This subject has been one of the loudest occupations of my mind lately, not that I feel guilty for owning things. I’ve been trying to think of a rational way to quench that urge to be free. At first I was thinking along the lines of trying out (just for a little while) hopping a train and letting it take me somewhere. Also I’m attracted to the whole “Walden” thing Thoreau did. Thank god I have a family and thus am forced to think (or act) in practical terms. Camping seems like a good middle ground. It’s really a double edged sword. Obligation makes freedom look great and I guess the weather makes even a mud hut look alright once in awhile. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Carter_of_Mars)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-i-resent-being-tied-down-by-physical-possessions/298229/35 "2005-04-09T05:19:07Z")
> [@Antonius Block](#): > > **John Carter of Mars** , that was some good writin’ there in post #21. > > Not that I’ve ever met **Mississippienne** , so I’m hoping that there’s nothing that she would find offensive. Thanks for the compliment! She’s not offended, she knows where I’m comin’ from. I’ve appointed myself to be her official SDMB big brother. Thus I can tease, make wise cracks and so forth and get away with it. If she’s ever actually ON a train that catches on fire, she knows she can call me and I’ll come in muh truck and give her and her mom a ride home. 🙂 > [@Antonius Block](#): > > Anyway, I really enjoyed reading your post. Perhaps you could write some more: I’m particularly fond of honeybees, gold-panning, and Eastern European brides. Speaking of which, it seems all the bees out your way are afflicted with something. Bubba got paid $60k to take 1,000 of his bee hives to the Almond growing area of California for the past few months. They were needed to pollinate this year’s Almond crop. He got back last week and said he cleared 36k after trucking and other expenses. I make this to be about three year’s normal income for him. He told me now that he was “rich” he might be going back to Kiev to try his luck again this fall, after honey season is over. I’ll post if anything interesting develops. ---
**Author:** ![MisterThyristor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecccb3/32.png) [@MisterThyristor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MisterThyristor)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-i-resent-being-tied-down-by-physical-possessions/298229/36 "2005-04-11T10:20:37Z")
> [@Spectre of Pithecanthropus](#): > > I defy you to find my 1960 _World Book_ (less the “L” book), or my hardcover book version of the September 1966 _Scientific American_, which was all about computers, in any library. > > Well, of course you’d find the magazine version, but that’s not the same. Actually, according to OCLC, there are 26 libraries with the 1960 World Book Encyclopedia, and 738 libraries with the hardbound version of the Sept. 1996 Scientific American (retitled “Information” in the harbound form). So defy all you want! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-i-resent-being-tied-down-by-physical-possessions/298229/37 "2005-04-11T10:55:38Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Things won’t make you happy, ever. Maybe not, but at least you can be miserable in comfort. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-i-resent-being-tied-down-by-physical-possessions/298229/38 "2005-04-11T15:22:10Z")
> [@Dung Beetle](#): > > **Clothahump** , you’ve got a valid point there. My malaise could very well be caused by not having\* enough \* stuff! Or a big enough place to put it in. I would like to sign up if anyone needs volunteers to test this theory. You’re number 2 on the signup sheet. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-i-resent-being-tied-down-by-physical-possessions/298229/39 "2005-04-11T15:31:36Z")
Woohoo! I have a retirement plan! ---
**Author:** ![Lola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ed655f/32.png) [@Lola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lola)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-i-resent-being-tied-down-by-physical-possessions/298229/40 "2005-04-11T16:01:28Z")
Things suck. I moved halfway around the world last year and left a houseful of books, guitars, banjoes, mandolins, clothes, furniture, gardens, trees, windows, doors etc behind. I thought that I was attached to these things. Was I bollocks. Only thing I miss is my cat. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-i-resent-being-tied-down-by-physical-possessions/298229.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-i-resent-being-tied-down-by-physical-possessions/298229.md?page=3)