Stuffed - Stuff Management in the 21st century.

Stuff, in and of itself is a good thing.
You and I and everything in our universe is made up of stuff.

Quote about Stuff from The Tempest,
"We are such stuff/As dreams are made on" Shakespeare

Quote about Stuff from the film The Maltese Falcon:
"The stuff that dreams are made of." Humphrey Bogart

We stuff the turkey,and then we stuff ourselves - every Thanksgiving
We get to the point where we have too much stuff - Yard Sale!

I typed in "Stuffed" in google search and was offered a choice between Teddy Bears at Target and Dictionary Definitions. Even the dictionary definition offered a header section with sponsored links.

Stuffed - sponsored links - Teddy Bears with Photo - Add a Favorite Photo to a Stuffed Teddy Bear - stuffed animals - Find stuffed animals Online, Free Shipping $50 on 100,000 items Wholesale Stuffed Animals - Shop Lions, Tigers, Bears & More! Free Shipping on Orders $349 and Up.

If I had gotten up out of my chair, grabbed my dictionary I would have avoided this whole world of information I hadn't been seeking -- but part of what I am thinking about this morning is all about all that extra stuff we get bombarded with at almost every waking moment we are connected with the outside world (via internet, tv, radio, our phones, the stores we shop at the things in our cupboards and hanging on our walls.)

We are made up of and surrounded by stuff.

One man's trash is another man's treasure -- but at the end of it all, it is all just "stuff".


I passed over the sponsor's kind opportunities to consume and went straight to the choice I had been searching for. Warning -- just like the word itself, the definition of the word stuff is incredibly broad.

Free Dictionary Definition of the word Stuff:
stuff  (stf)
n.
1. The material out of which something is made or formed; substance.
2. The essential substance or elements; essence: "We are such stuff/As dreams are made on" (Shakespeare).
3. Informal
a. Unspecified material: Put that stuff over there.
b. Household or personal articles considered as a group.
c. Worthless objects.
4. Slang Specific talk or actions: Don't give me that stuff about being tired.
5. Sports
a. The control a player has over a ball, especially to give it spin, english, curve, or speed.
b. The spin, english, curve, or speed imparted to a ball: "where we could watch the stuff, mainly curves, that the pitchers were putting on the ball" (James Henry Gray).
6. Basketball A dunk shot.
7. Special capability: The team really showed its stuff and won the championship.
8. Chiefly British Woven material, especially woolens.
9. Slang Money; cash.
10. Slang A drug, especially one that is illegal or habit-forming.
v. stuffed, stuff·ing, stuffs
v.tr.
1.
a. To pack (a container) tightly; cram: stuff a Christmas stocking.
b. To block (a passage); plug: stuff a crack with caulking.
c. Basketball To block (a shot or an opponent who is shooting), especially before the ball leaves the shooter's hands.
2.
a. To place forcefully into a container or space; thrust: stuffed laundry into the bag.
b. Sports To shoot (a ball or puck) forcefully into the goal from close range.
c. Basketball To dunk (the ball).
3.
a. To fill with an appropriate stuffing: stuff a pillow.
b. To fill (an animal skin) to restore its natural form for mounting or display.
4. To cram with food.
5. To fill (the mind): His head is stuffed with silly notions.
6. To put fraudulent votes into (a ballot box).
7. To apply a preservative and softening agent to (leather).
v.intr.
To overeat; gorge.
Idioms:
stuff it Vulgar Slang
Used as an intensive to express extreme anger, frustration, or disgust.
stuff (one's) face Slang
To eat greedily.



Our bodies are formed by a complicated symphony of our thoughts and actions. According to quantum physicists we are literally made up of what we are around, as matter is not the solid material we see, the things I surround myself with become part of me. Deepak Chopra addresses this idea beautifully in his book Perfect Weight. Obviously in addition to the more out there concept that I may be made up of parts of every person who lives and who has ever lived on this planet -- I am also made up of what I have eaten and what I have drunk. I am made up of what I have not eaten and what I haven't drunk as well.

Every choice I make over the course of today has an impact on what I will look like tomorrow. When I look in the mirror dark circles under my eyes would reflect my stress or lack of sleep. If the scale goes up I may be reminded of what I have been eating lately beyond what I needed for the amount of energy I expended. If I am building muscles, my muscles are made up of the water I have drunk, and the weight I have lifted. My form during the workout, the weight of the weight, the amount of time I spent all work together to create my physical body, and my mental well being.

In the 21st century, in the United States of America, and in "developed" countries around the world we are faced with an epidemic of over consumption.

We are stuffed. Our minds are stuffed. Our bodies are stuffed. Our houses are stuffed. Our computers are stuffed. Our lives are stuffed.

Stuff Management in the 21st century.

Your Body
•Become a Pleasure Seeker - Stop eating and drinking stuff that doesn't maximize your pleasure
•Become more like an Athlete - Stop being a Couch Potato

Your Mind
•Be able to distinguish between Wants and Needs -Stop buying "stuff"
•Be clutter-free --Stop buying stuff to stuff your stuff in
-- sorry Container Store, there is something wrong with a world where you are needed!

Your Spirit
•Be able to disconnect from the outside world
Stop getting bombarded with stuff - take a break from information overload
•Be loving, love-able, and love yourself and others

And now, it is time to go make some coffee!
Jennifer