She stepped in to my town house. Took a few steps, had a look around
and then asked: ''Are you a hoarder?''
''A hoarder?''
''What makes you think I am a hoarder?
''Well, there's so much stuff in here,'' she answered.
(Well, just so you know, I am not a hoarder. Commonly the first
comment people make when they come here for a visit for the first
time is how cozy and homely the place is/feels.)
Stuff? As in bookcases full with books, walls covered with
paintings, photos, and treasured handmade cards from my son?
Painting stuff such as paints, brushes, canvases, paper,
etc. etc. all neatly stacked on shelves?
Music stuff as in a full-sized electric piano, flutes,
drumsticks, harmonicas and a four speaker 100 watt
sound system?
Or stuff as in the regular stuff; a dinner table and chairs, two
couches, a coffee table, and half a dozen table lamps?
What makes a home feel like a home?
What makes your home feel like your home?
Some say that a home feels homey when it is filled
with things that we love, with people that we love,
and being at home we feel safe.
Before the dawn of the internet if one wanted to read
something one needed a book, if one wanted to listen
to music one needed a sound system, if one wanted to
enjoy a painting one hung one on the wall, and if one
wanted to play a game one got a deck of cards,
or grabbed a board game.
These days, all we need in order to read a book, listen to music,
look at a painting or play a game, is an ''i-thingy''.
(as in a smart phone or a smart TV)
We don't need to go to a book store, music store,
art shop/gallery/exhibition, or a store that sells cards and games.
All can be had for free on the internet.
No monetary or human interaction needed.
At first glance perhaps less human interaction may seem
as a good thing, but according to ''those in the know''
(sociology researchers at the University of Texas for instance)
there is compelling evidence that low quantity
and or quality of social interaction/ties can lead to a host of
health issues.
We may perhaps interact with others more now than ever before,
but research indicates that we do so not eye to eye,
but screen to screen.
But is interaction screen to screen enough for us as humans
to flourish?
As far as I can ascertain, no.
Tactile(tangible/touchable) experiences and human skin to skin
touch is vital for us humans to truly thrive.
Whether we are for example touching a pineapple or someone's hand,
the act of touching gives us valuable sensory data.
Our journey as human beings begins with touch,
and if we are lucky, the touch of a loved one will
see us off when we depart.
We can't, as far as I know, take any ''stuff'' with us when we
leave this mortal coil.
So why do so many of us spend our lives in the
pursuit of more and more stuff?
One reason may be because some stuff can be comforting?
Most of us have a favorite pillow, shoes, pants,
coffee mug, shirt, jumper, t-shirt, socks, etc. etc. etc.
Why do some stuff become our favorites?
Because we like the feel of them, the touch of them.
(Touch, is one of our primary sensory experiences
and ''teachers''.)
Sometimes I wonder if ''to touch'' is not something that
we just do subconsciously.
For instance: something looks soft, don't you feel
the urge to touch it? You see something smooth
and before you know it you've begun to stroke it?
You find a piece of bubble wrap, and you
just have to pop it?
Even though it is possible to do many, many things
with the help of an i-thingy, why not try the
tactile method now and then?
Touch stuff like a book, a vinyl record, a deck of cards,
a painting, something smooth, something rough,
etc. etc.
''Touch comes before sight, before speech.
It is the first language, and the last,
and it always tells the truth.''
(Margaret Atwood)
about the image: acrylic and ink on wood board
title: Imagine that
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