Gearing Down

The more stuff you own, the more your stuff owns you

“When you want more than you have

You think you need

And when you think more than you want

Your thoughts begin to bleed

I think I need to find a bigger place

'Cause when you have more than you think

You need more space” — Eddie Vedder, “Society”

For the past 15 years, my world has been a world of things—of products, of objects, of gear, of possessions. It’s Barbour jackets, and Blundstone boots, and Breitling watches, Land Rovers, skis, diving gear, and bikes. I write about it, talk about it, review it, and sometimes sell it. Some things have come to me as gifts, some as payment for work performed, but most of it I’ve bought. As I contemplate this, with the impending tsunami of the gift giving season bearing down, I’ll admit to some hard self-reflection.