Examining the Excess

Last weekend my kitchen was inundated with apples.

Red and yellow orbs overflowed from plastic U-pick bags, creating a colorful scattering across countertops. They even began emerging from the diaper bag and kids’ jacket pockets.

While the family outing to cull these gems off their trees had been wonderful—apple picking is a family tradition I look forward to each fall—this year’s harvest felt a bit over the top. 

Apparently our kids were bent on filling every readily available receptacle with apples (hence the stuffed jacket pockets), and now my kitchen was proof.

Invasion of the apples was accurate. 

But here’s the kicker. Once our home’s apple supply was abundant… No. One. Wanted. To. Eat. Them.

It wasn’t until later—while taking a break from frantically Googling “what to do with apples”—that I realized why.

An item in abundance loses its novelty. 

There were some dang good apples in that group. But batched in excessive quantities, even the best of the bunch lost its appeal.

Out on the tree, each apple was a novel find. A treasure worth bringing home to enjoy. 

But at home, wedged in a bag overflowing with the same items, each one became excess.

The parallels between our possessions and these apples are striking.

Consider kid’s toys. The plastic container is excitedly ripped open, the toy is played with momentarily, a child’s mood may even boost at receiving something new. Then the new toy is tossed into one of the child’s ten toy bins, absorbed into the excess and soon forgotten.

Consider wardrobes. New items get added to our cart. They were on sale, a great deal, and complemented the latest trend. Why not buy them? We hang them in our already full closets. The trends change, we find other great deals, and they soon become unwanted excess.

Consider kitchen gadgets. A new tool promises to make life easier. The spiralizers, graters, shredders, choppers, mixers—each specific to its own food type. You cook a lot, so why not own them? Until you’re searching for the corn peeler and the strawberry stem remover (yeah, those both exist), but can’t find either in a drawer stuffed full of gadgets. So you resort to using an easy-to-find knife. Again and again. And the gadgets—whenever they are—become unused excess.

Anything in excess loses its novelty and, soon, its purpose.

The solution? Own less.

When a couple of lonely apples adorn our countertop fruit bowl, the kids fight over them.

When one doll (instead of 12) sits on a little girl’s bed, it is loved.

When three (instead of 30) pairs of shoes line the closet floor, they are all needed.

When two (instead of 10) wooden spoons rest in the silverware drawer, they both get used.

Our excess possessions complicate our lives and keep us from enjoying the items we truly love. When excess exists, possessions that matter most get pushed to the wayside because of the sheer number competing for our attention.

In short, not only is our excess stuff going unused (we use 20% of our things 80% of the time), but our excess stuff is also getting in the way of our best stuff.

And, if you ask me, that’s no way to live. I want to walk into my home and be greeted by only the items I use and love. Not inundated with stuff, constantly shifting through the unused excess to find the items that matter.

Look around your home—what are your apples?

What do you own in excess? How are those unused, unloved items keeping you from enjoying your best stuff and best life?

If the problem with excess is one you can relate to, why not start acting to overcome it today?

I can turn my excessive apple collection into pies, crisps, and jellies. It won’t be a source of stress for long.

As for excessive stuff? It will continue to mask what really matters and compound our stress levels until…

We finally let go.

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Julia Ubbenga is a freelance journalist whose teachings on minimalism, simplicity, and intentional living have reached thousands of people worldwide through her blog. Julia practices what she preaches in her Kansas City home with her husband, two extremely lively young daughters, one-year-old son, and newborn baby girl. You can also find her on Instagram.

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