It is more enjoyable spending time outside when the temperature drops and the air isn’t saturated with humidity. The stickiness is nothing more than a tease, magnified by the falling water table and the rainfall deficit. It hardly seems fair for such diametrically opposed conditions to coexist, but life doesn’t always function in absolutes.

I was cutting the grass and thinking about the willdfires. While I absolutely detest mowing, weeding and trimming shrubs, I was acutely aware that I was damn lucky to have the burden. When compared to camping at Qualcomm Stadium and not knowing if your home was pile of ashes, pushing a mower seems rather benign.

I considered the people in California who will be starting over after the embers have smoldered, and tried placing myself in their shoes. I’ve accumulated a lifetime’s worth of stuff. What if I only had the clothes on my back and a few mementos from the past? I wonder, if I were relieved physical possessions, would I evolve into a better person?

Things distort our view of the world. Few in American society are immune to materialism. If I were less obsessed with technological conveniences, would I better appreciate the world around me? Mankind functioned for centuries without SUVs, cell phones, hell, even shoes, why can’t I allow two days to pass without checking my e-mail, or relying upon my microwave?

Simplicity. The years following college, I lived in an old duplex. The only grounded outlet was in the bathroom. My decorating style resembled refugee/garage sale. The furniture was either hand-me-down or reclaimed. Most of the time, I didn’t have a working television. I kept a broken one in my living room so friends wouldn’t pity me. I only had to track five bills a month. I never suffered from lack. All my needs were met. I appreciated what I had.

There’s a fine line, a place where stuff makes things easier and improves the quality of life, and on the other side, a darker place, in which we collect so much we no longer appreciate, much less, enjoy the things we have. Accumulation may elevate our status in terms of society’s class system, but do things really make us happier?

I’m not likely to abandon to all my possessions because I’m overcome by the weight of decadence, but I am trying to streamline my need for things. Consideration is given to things that no longer make my life easier and more fulfilling. Perhaps they will fill a void in someone else’s life, someone who needs, or enjoys the item for its function. If it becomes a status symbol collecting dust in their closet, so be it, I’ve no interest in judging them, only coming to terms with what I can live with in my own life.

I hope I haven’t left the impression that I believe those starting over after the wild fires will have it easier, having been stripped of the burden of things. I don’t believe it for a moment. An insurance check is hardly a suitable substitute for a house full of memories, photo albums, a bed room suit passed down from great grandmother, and the daunting task of starting over.

If you’re interested in more information about the fire locations and their status, here is an interesting resource.