Thought Provoking and Eye Opening.

So we had finally moved and gotten the old apartment all cleaned, but we still had several pieces of furniture that we were not planning on moving as we are now in a smaller apartment. We had a recliner, a lamp, and two dining room chairs that we just didn't need anymore. We really didn't have any idea how we were going to get these out of the apartment before the first of the month. My mom had called 1-800-junk and they want anywhere from 100-200 dollars to pick up what we had! Um, no! So, she then decided she would ask around the building to see if anyone was in want of these few pieces of furniture. It turns out that there was a woman who had moved in just down the hall from our old apartment that had almost NO furniture. She had a bed, a desk, and an ironing board. That was all. So when my mom asked her if she wanted the pieces she was very happy to take them. It turns out she was in the process of getting divorced, and had left everything behind as she just needed to get out of her house. Her adult son still lives at home and is Bipolar and schizophrenic and wont take his medication continuously and has threatened to kill her and her husband several times, she had to leave in fear for her life. Her husband refuses to do anything about the situation with their son, and she refuses to live in fear any longer.
As we had an abundance of furniture, including some in our store room (an extra table) we were able to give her a head start on at least furnishing the beginning of her new start at life and she was able to help us clear out our apartment with very little effort. A good ending, or beginning.
However, it made me think about all of the things that I surround myself with, and all of the things that I think I NEED. This woman was living with a bed, desk, and an ironing board. So little is actually needed to sustain us, yet I think I NEED all of these things to make me happier. WHAT IS THAT ABOUT?! Don't get me wrong there is something to be said about comfort, do I want to sleep on the floor? No. But just watching her look around our apartment and then walking into hers... We are still trying to find places to fit stuff in our apartment and she couldn't decide which empty space to put the table and the recliner into...So how much of the stuff we surround ourselves with is actually stuff we need?