When did excess become the new normal?

I ran to Aldi one morning this past week. It happened to be garbage day, and I was was on my way back to my parents’ home, I was shocked at the scene I saw. At the curb to every home was 1 extra large garbage can and 1 smaller recycling bin. Now, I’m not talking about a little garbage can and the tiny blue recycling bins that almost everyone had 15 years ago. These are industrial-style bins that the fork on the garbage truck can hook into and swing up – the driver never has to leave the cab of the truck.

As a kid, I was always amazed when the garbage men would drive down the road – one driving the truck slowly, another hanging onto the back, jumping down at each house to throw the refuse from the can into the open end of the truck. They had such a system, and everything was timed just right. Back then, it was one little can for each home, or 1, maybe 2 garbage bags with the week’s trash. You knew someone had a party if there was more than that on the curb that week. Even the recycling bin could tell you that there were extra people in the home from beer or pop bottles and cans. It was just a little thing, but something that sticks in my mind, from a simpler time.

This morning, I was just shocked as I drove down this quiet street, with its silent soldiers lined up on each side. The garbage and recycle bins standing as sentries to their respective homes. As I thought back to my childhood, the fact that these humongous bins were there, some actually overflowing, I felt uneasy. Why, I thought, do these people have so much trash to throw out? I pulled into my parents’ driveway, and realized that yes, they have those two bins, along with an even larger third one. They fill one of those large garbage bags each day, and into the trash bin it goes. How do the two of them, plus my youngest brother, create so much garbage in one day?

Squatch, Little Man, and I, in our apartment, would maybe fill one bag a week. It would be full, but not overflowing, as we would take the bag out on a Saturday or Sunday. When Little Man came around, I would take the bag out 2 or 3 times a week, just because no one wants to sit around with poopy diapers hanging around, even if they were wrapped in doggy poop bags! I always felt like I could do more though, as I would take this 1/3 or 1/2 full bag to the dumpster, like it was a waste for me to be throwing out so little with that big bag.

But when I think about these giant garbage cans, I think about all of the other excess in our lives, and I’m not talking trash. So many people live with their televisions on (you all know how I feel about this by now, as I’ve referenced my distaste for it several times), some leave the 24/7 new channels on. This is excess, folks! It may not seem like it, but it truly is! It is an excess when you look at your electric bill (leaving the tv on all day does add to your power bill, believe it or not). It is an excess in terms of the sheer volume of crap you are taking in.

Yeah, I said it. The 24/7 news cycle is crap. You stick with one news source, which leans one way or the other, and anything else is not acceptable to you. I look at this current “pandemic” that is happening, and we are in an excess of information about it. Every new case, every new test, every death…you get where I’m going yet? Too much information! And it is always the same. Same for the Presidential (or any) election. Candidate A says X, Candidate B says Y. Candidate A is bad because Q, Candidate B is bad because P. It never ends. This excess information makes us all crazy, and we just focus too much on it, making it important because it is there.

Really, who cares about all of this minutia? It has nothing to do with you in the end. It does not directly affect you; you think it does, but it really does not. What does affect you? Your own habits: what you spend, on what, how you use what you have. Yes, there are some laws that directly affect you, but they are not coming from Washington, D.C., they are coming from your town, city, village, township…whatever your local government is, that directly affects you. And guess what? You actually can change things at the local level.

You can change the excess around yourself as well. Stop buying so much shit for yourself and your kids. Yes, that is an adorable outfit for your little one, but do you really need it, or the other 30 you have at home? Nice shoes, but do you really need ANOTHER pair of black flats or heels? What about that super cute, totally in style shirt/pants/etc.? Nope, don’t need it. Food; don’t get me started on food excess. Yes, we all need food, and you should have a good store of it in your pantry. But that does not mean chips, cookies, candy, food you don’t eat.

Here’s a secret: just because something is on sale doesn’t mean you need to buy it. Shocking, I know. Don’t get me wrong, I have been guilty of buying in excess. And you know what? I feel like shit when I do. Emotional buying is never good, and ensures you make shitty decisions when it comes to spending your money. I am constantly evaluating my belongings, figuring out if I need them or not. Most of the time, I don’t. I always have a “donate” pile, bag, basket, or corner. My closet is constantly being pared down. I don’t accept most gifts for Little Man simply because he DOES NOT NEED another toy or outfit or who knows what. Plus, I don’t want to have to store it. Especially if it’s something that is big, has a ton of pieces, or just not something we ever wanted for him to have.

Excess is just not good for anyone, in general. While typing this up, I actually felt my heart rate go up, as I started getting anxious just thinking about dealing with excess. Is it any wonder so many people have high levels of anxiety? With so much going on in their lives, and so much stuff surrounding them, it’s suffocating.

When you start looking at all this excess as trash, it offers a bit of a different perspective. All of this – the physical items like food, clothes, books, toys; 24/7 news media; constant negativity – it is all trash. And what do we do with trash? We throw it out. I know I’m going to take this opportunity to fill that giant trash bin with all of the excess in my life. And once I take it to the curb, it will be such a weight that has been lifted.

What excess do you identify in your life? How can you reduce it? And why have you let the excess take up so much space?