108 Beloved Objects [PAPERBACK]: Letting Go of Stuff, Keeping Our Stories

When we take ownership of something—whether a toaster or a Tesla—all we’re really buying is this: the privilege of controlling that object’s location in space. Sometimes, the objects we collect afford some kind of utility. But most of them are valuable not for what they can do, but for the people and passages they recall. The are simply symbols. We collect them, and cling to them, primarily for the stories they embody.

The many objects I’ve picked up during my long career as an author and journalist meant a great deal to me when I acquired them. I still cherish their histories—but they take up physical space, as well. As much as I love them, they've become background noise. Now, as I move through into the final chapters of my own life, I wish to liberate myself from physical attachments—and this includes the stuff I love.

Achieving this goal is a daunting task. To make it easier for myself, I began with a specific goal: eliminating 108 beloved objects from my rich but cluttered world.

My initial thought was to simply leave these objects on the curb. But as I made my selections, I realized they couldn’t be abandoned so easily. Each summarized a chapter of my life. And all of them, like the worn protagonists of Toy Story, have tales to tell. And so, before releasing them, I decided to do two things. First the objects were photographed by tribal art dealer Zena Kruzick, who marvelously captured their artistic essence. Next, I challenged myself to tell a meaningful, bite-sized story inspired by each of the 108 keepsakes. Because once we’ve recorded an object’s story, what need of the thing itself?

The number 108, which is significant in many cultures, is an important element in this book. There are 108 beads on a Buddhist mala, and 108 names for the Hindu god Shiva. The number 18 means “life” in Hebrew, and its multiples ($36, for example) are often given as gifts. In Japan, the temple bells ring 108 times to welcome the New Year. And there are 108 stitches on a baseball.

As another nod to these mystical numbers, 108 Beloved Object is divided into six “Realms.” Each holds 18 of the objects. The Realms represent Travel; Gifts; Love; Earth, Moon & Stars; Endings; and Spirit.

I like to think of the book as a work of “flash non-fiction.” The stories evoked by each object are often, but not always, related directly to that object. They are by turns reflective, funny, tragic, nostalgic but (hopefully) always surprising. And now that their tales are told, each object will be given away. Anyone can have one of these objects—including you. The final page of the book has full instructions.

I know I’m not the first to do something like this. From the potlatch feasts of the Pacific Northwest to The Museum of Broken Relationships, there have been numerous strategies to part, honorably, with our possessions. People seem to understand, at a deep level, that getting rid of our stuff is a path to freedom.

108 Beloved Objects chronicles the beginning of my journey along that road. Let the load-shedding begin!

Jeff Greenwald is the author of eight books, including Shopping for Buddhas (now in its 25th Anniversary edition), The Size of the World (for which he created the first Internet travel blog) and Snake Lake. His tales and essays appear in many print and online publications. During his 45-year writing career he has profiled a full spectrum of global luminaries, including the Dalai Lama, Grace Slick, Paul Bowles, and William Shatner. Adventures at home and in more than 100 foreign lands have provided rich material for his storytelling career, and his spoken word tales have been featured at The Moth and on NPR's Snap Judgment.. His acclaimed one-man show, "Strange Travel Suggestions," premiered in San Francisco in 2003. Jeff is also the Executive Director of Ethical Traveler, a non-profit dedicated to human rights and environmental protection. Jeff's most recent books include Out of Nothing: Conversations with Larry Harvey (2019) and The Nine Gifts, co-authored with Christine Marie Mason.