Antique Hoarders. Just let it go, man. Let it go.

 

Yeah. It’s a broken bowl. It’s a Royal Austria O&EG bowl.  It was my great grandmother’s..she gave it to me shortly before she died.

UPS broke it. But it doesn’t really matter. It’s just a bowl.

I’m able to say that NOW- two days later. At the time I was pretty fucking pissed.  It holds sentimental value that is absolutely priceless.  

My husband said he would glue it back together.

My grandmother would have said, in this situation…go buy another bowl.  

It’s an attachment to an object, to be sure.  It is the cause of my suffering, of course.  What does the Buddha say about attachments to “stuff” ???  

“Sorrow grows

like grass after rain

For anyone overcome by this miserable craving

And clinging to the world.

Sorrow falls away

Like drops of water from a lotus

For anyone who overcomes this miserable craving

And clinging to the world.”

-The Dhammapada

It’s a funny thing nowadays- clinging.  I am able to recognize it, when it arises (which is pretty big progress, right?)  That doesn’t mean I’m always successful in not giving in to the desires and attachments to happiness and meaningless objects that probably make me borderline hoarderish.  I do get over shit much more quickly though…I’m able to say, “That doesn’t matter- it’s not real.”  And I was even nice to the UPS guy today when he came to apologize.