Hubris and Me

Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
- Proverbs 16:18, King James Bible Translation

I don't usually quote the Christian Bible here, although it's infinitely quotable (well, that is an exaggeration, of course, that turn of phrase because, to my math-driven mind as the text is fixed and not being added to it is therefore countable with countably many ways to quote it). But as I have tried to deal with all the objects and real estate in my life, one word kept leaping to mind: hubris.

You even hear people talk about "house proud" as a vice. Anyway, my point is only that pretending you have the resources to maintain a large house and lots of objects, is only pride. I spent my earlier years not in want, but way short of all the things and the space that I imagined would be wonderful. Of course, I wanted to share these riches, to entertain, to have house guests, to have parties large and small. And there are people with the means to keep that dream alive. Perhaps if it was a driving force for me, I could remain in this lifestyle. But it is not my dream. My dream is to be freer, to have fewer things and to entertain in public spaces to avoid the cost of maintaining a home with large rooms only for entertaining.

FFP took the above picture for when we are marketing the house. It looks like a relaxing and lovely place to sit. At a home you'd be privileged to own. It is. But I see beyond that to the maintenance. The plants that need trimming, the annual cleaning of the lawn furniture.

I hope I can put aside the hubris and give up ownership of some real estate and objects and simplify my life.