There are are so many expressions and playful phrases using the word “stuff”. Get stuffed. Stuff it. I am stuffed. Stuffing. There is even a magazine with this word in the title. Jerry Seinfeld did a comedy bit once about collecting stuff. This is what many of us do with our lives. We are always looking for stuff, buying stuff, storing stuff.

I am sentimental person. I have been collecting stuff ever since I was a kid. I think I am a still a kid. An overgrown kid. And now I have a kid. I have been called a hoarder. I think that is fair. Most of the stuff I have has no material value, but to me, it makes sense. There is paraphernalia from IS, movie things (from our indie film projects), Canary swag, magic stuff, quirky gadgets, high tech toys, stand-up comedy DVDs, rare funny books, gizmos, pranks, Atari t-shirts (a small but cool collection), and the list goes on. A lot of it is geeky stuff. Yes, I am a bit of a nerd. My home office in the The Nest is overflowing with stuff, and now, I am not sure when will ever see this stuff again. The vast majority of my favourite stuff is in The Nest.

The pandemic showed the world that you don’t need a lot to live. Yes, to live, and to live well, does not require a dozen holiday homes and a fleet of luxury cars. We can only sleep in one bed, and as long as that bed is comfortable, and the house is clean and warm, and the fridge full of food, you are living pretty well. And we certainly don’t need all that stuff to live comfortable lives. I may never be able to see this stuff again and I will survive. But it does upset me. For some reason that stuff was dear to me. That stuff made me feel peaceful. I know it may sound a bit odd, as it is to most people, just worthless stuff, but to me it meant something.

The rockets striking Kyiv on Thursday made everyone more anxious. We have friends in Kyiv. The Nest is in Kyiv. All that stuff is in Kyiv. And this morning, the Bunster made a mess with a yogurt drink and got us both covered in stuff. Yes, stuff is everywhere. And from my perspective, the world is looking pretty stuffed. Ok ok, I was trying to play with words there. But you know what I mean.

The other thing about stuff is that we not only collect it, but then sometimes we put stuff in storage. I have never done that, but I know that self-storage facilities are a big industry. When we die what happens to all this stuff? And if you go away for the weekend and come back to discover your house burned down, then all your stuff is gone. Talk about a stuffing reset.

The thing about collecting is that a lot of people, I think the vast majority, collect things that have a perceived value, like art. Some just collect rent. A lot try and hoard cash. Money collecting is a popular past time. Everyone is collecting something. Most collect something that has a monetary value. Asset management could be referred to as asset collecting. And then you get those people who collect stories. The bible is the ultimate collection of stories. I love a good story. I am always writing down and capturing stories.

I should start thinking about collecting things that have value. Perhaps the war has made me aware of financial vulnerability. The stuff I collect is mostly stuff that makes people smile. Seeing people smile makes me happy.

This spider in a box prank is one of my favourites. The Bunster likes it too. I can’t wait to show it to him one day when we are back in The Nest. By then he will be a bit older and will find it even funnier.