stuff is not life

I have just spent the weekend with my good friends, who have just gone bankrupt. Or their business and house is being taken off them by the bank. Whatever that is called. They did a cash bar at their hotel on Saturday night to raise rent money as their bank accounts have been frozen. On Sunday they held a sale to sell as much of their stuff as they could before the house and hotel was taken off them. Again to raise cash for rent money. It was all a sorry sort of affair. I mean they had masses and masses of gorgeous stuff for sale. I bought a lovely Joseph coat (I don't need) and there were chandeliers, and bathroom fittings and vintage furniture, works of art, fridges, designer clothing, a piano..... And they did raise a good deal of the rent money they need to survive til May when they both start working again in Ibiza. It was just the way it was their life, being picked over and sold off, almost as if they had died. We all bought stuff and gave over the asking price so as to help them. But it was just weird. Like a lesson in how you just can't take it all with you. They have been having enormous sales for a while, trying to get rid of stuff and raise some much needed cash. But this was brutal. Today the remaining stuff was being farmed out to friends garages and attics as much as is possible. I helped pack up about 10 boxes of vinyl records. They don't have time to sort out what they want to keep or not...... and it really made me think that we just keep all this stuff we don't need or even want, when push comes to shove, what do you really want to keep in your life? Boxes of maps from places you have been? vinyl records you never play? Books you have read and will never read again? Clothes you wore when you were thin and young and a gal about town. A hat you wore to that wedding? They had to give so much of it to charity. WHich is not a bad thing in itself, there is a lucky charity shop out there today. But I am renewed in my purpose to sell off all the stuff I don't want or need any more. Not because it is likely that the bank will want to repossess my home. At least I hope not. But you know, you never know what might happen. And I am of the opinion that it is better to travel lighter on this earth. I think that my dear friends are now also of that opinion. They are off to live a frugal winter in a little finca in Ibiza. Reading and recuperating after the monstrous stress of the last few years of trying their damndest to save their hotel, house and livelihoods of others from the bank (who are calling in their debts because of the credit catastrophe).