Got junk?

Yesterday was recycle day in the city. One of the local churches with a massive parking lot had been desginated as the recycle drop off location. As we pulled into the parking lot with a SUV-full load of junk, I wondered what had happened to us.
I arrived in this country 10 years ago with 2 suitcases full of clothes and miscellaneous knick knacks. Now I probably own 10 suitcases that I accumulated with new ergonomic advance in suitcase design, hard to miss deals and sales, and the changing rules and regulations of allowed baggage in domestic and international travel. But really, how can a basic object like a suitcase become an example of slipping into this rampant consumerism? I look back at my recycle load and guess what – no suitcases there! What I do see is a 7 year old computer, a bulky garage door opener that was manufactured before I was born, and about 2 dozen old batteries.
As I glance about the parking lot at discarded large screen TVs and other large appliances in perfectly good condition, I congratulate myself. Maybe I need to cut back on using disposable batteries, but other than that, I am really not throwing out anything symbolizing decadent materialism.
And then I remember the < 5 pounds of garbage that our family of 5 generated each week back in Bombay. The city I live in today doesn’t even provide a garbage container small than 20 gallons. I also recall that we didnt have any scrap metal, or recyclable junk to discard ever. That was the type of thing that industries needed. We did carefully recycle newspapers but we got money for it, that went back into mom’s purse for buying groceries and other essentials. I smile as another childhood memory comes floating back – eyeing the newspaper recycle vendor suspiciously hoping he wasnt upto any tricks as he weighed the old papers I had lugged to him on my bicycle to determine how much to pay me. Recognizing the papers as he piled them up on the scales, my dad’s endless hours poring over the newsprint and fighting with my siblings over who had dibs on the word scramble and the crossword puzzle. The thrill with which I clutched the money and looking forward to mom’s reaction of pleasant surprise or utter dispproval at the cheating vendor when I handed the money back to her.
Back to the present – as we pull back into our junk filled garage, I look again at the loads of stuff waiting to be taken to goodwill. I wonder how much time we have spent running around like ants in summer, doing the rounds of the mall, closet, garage, recycle center and/or goodwill. No wonder we are so busy! Maybe its not a bad thing that we take the garbage out only once in 2-3 weeks, and maybe it is no so bad that Ankur spent several weeks of effort trying to get that garage door opener to work before finally replacing it.
I take a deep breath at this glass half full realization as I head upstairs to swap out my 3 bags full of summer clothes with my 4 bags of winter clothes.