Power Outage

Since moving to Rochester in June, Nancy and I have been working hard to eliminate a lot of the stuff that we've accumulated throughout the fifty years we've been together.  There are the incomplete sets of old dishes that are hard to toss away because they have been in your family for so many years and heaven forbid that we should ever get rid of them.  I cannot tell you how many picture frames we have - many with family photos taken throughout the years and some that have no real significance whatsoever.  There are clothes which are on the hope list - hoping that I can fit into them someday (maybe by that day they'll be back in style.)  And, of course, there are the remnants of computer programs from days gone by - computer disks with programs designed to make my life simpler but they no longer work because their technology hasn't kept up with the newer, faster systems.

But the most surprising item that I have discovered in every box tucked away, every loose bag that we stuffed in a box that was tucked away, and drawers upon drawers of knick-knacks inundated with this item.  It's the extension cords.  I have all kinds: 7 brown extension cords, 6 white ones which work inside the house only, 1 six count outlet which plugs into an existing outlet, 2 power strips (I know there are more - these are the ones I've counted so far), and one outlet extension cord that only works with one item.  I have scads of three prong adapters because the previous home we lived in had older outlets, many of them without a ground plug so we needed adapters for them.  

I'm not even including all of the power cords I have for outside use (I know it's a double-digit number).  Neither am I including tens upon tens of device cords that have no known devices attached to them, LAN cords which are no longer needed because of the wireless phase we are in, and more earphone cords than I have ears.  Somewhere in time I have devices that each of these cords fit.  But who cares?  If I'm not using the device now and haven't for years, why do I think I need to keep them?  It's insanity!

I can tell you right now I don't need any of these cords.  None of them.  Not at all.  The moment I realize this will be the moment I will have conquered a huge obstacle in life - accumulating things that have no value. 

Listen to how Jesus said it: 

Yeah, I should know that by now.  I don't really consider tens of tens of extension cords and other similar things to be a treasure, but perhaps I can rethink the purpose for purchasing things.  Do I really need it or do I want it?  In most cases, I'm guessing the answer in my life would be "No".  I believe if I do that (and I'm thinking it's harder than just saying it than it is to do it) then perhaps I'll be able to tap into a bigger power source that will provide for anything I might need.

I guess I have some work to do... I need to donate some extension cords so others can access the power!