The Thing About Things

As the old saying goes, “Whoever dies with the most toys wins.”

Yet on another one of those fateful days when I was going to go hide in the Angelika Theater to see the latest John Cusack film, I saw this sight. It’s a blur because I wanted to go all ninja with this shot, but what you are seeing is a woman whom I have to assume is homeless or a kleptomaniac. Why, you may ask? Because she is dragging along two carts across a street. What you may not notice is that in front of her are two more carts, and that mass of stuff behind her? That’s right, that’s all hers as well. I counted a total of six baby carriages and two carts, a total convoy of eight transport vehicles at her disposal to drag along what she carried: and from what I noted, I think she had a backup in the cart.

Although I was willing to give the scene a ready smile, I thought of how much I have in my own living quarters and, sure enough, it would probably total almost twice that in food, supplies, and everything else. Would I be able to move everything I own in an eight-cart convoy if all was said and done? While I take pride in having little wants, I also realized that perhaps there are too many things that I may have hoarded away into my own hovel with no purpose other than to gather the gifts to line my grave. Am I truly as free-spirited as I think I am?

It seems consumption infects everyone no matter how high or low you are on the ladder rung.