A Material Girl, In A Material World

It has come to my attention, that I am, without a doubt,
A Material Girl, In A Material World. & I hate it. I hate that I rely on material possessions as much as I do. The main thing that has brought this to my attention, as of late, is

TRAVELLING!
How am I meant to travel the world with 27 suitcases full of junk?
I want to be able to pack light & easy, so that I don't have to constantly be worried about losing things, or needing things. I want to be able to jump up and move on to the next destination without too much stuffing around! All I really need, is clothes, and even they can be bought anywhere.
Essentials= Money & a Passport 
& that's all. That is literally all I need to do what I want to. & you know what, I HAVE those things! I am ready. Although, I guess I could use some MORE money. But back to the point...
I realise that I rely so much on my phone, for getting places, for taking photos of everything, for the time, for contacting people, for listening to music, for a torch, for a calculator, for checking dates, etc, etc, etc. & don't get me wrong, it's fantastic to have this device that you can basically use for everything, but lately I have been feeling like it's almost a part of me, and I don't like it. I want to be able to leave it at home sometimes, or in my bag or pocket even. I want a few days- phone less.
As for other material possessions, I want to cut down- especially when packing! It's like I think I'm going to need everything I own whilst I'm away, and so I just try to pack it ALL, just in case.

From now on, I'm going to make a conscious effort to cut down on material items. I don't want to bring anything travelling with me that I will be devastated to lose, apart from my camera of course.
It's ridiculous how emotionally invested we all are with objects, including things like pieces of paper and old socks. Why?! I get that some things remind us of nice memories, but if the memories were so nice, we shouldn't need reminders. It's handy to have things that you need on you, at all times, incase you DO need them, but most of the time we just end up regretting packing so many things, because it just weighs us down, and we don't even use them.

We have come to believe that 'Material Things Are The Best Measure Of Our Quality Of Life'- meaning the bigger our houses, the nicer our cars, the more money we earn and have = the better we and everyone else thinks our lives are. We live in a consumerist world, where all that matters is money, and things that money buy, making us care less about the good things in life.
Like love, and quality time, and nature, and air, and trees, and peace, and serenity.
I want to start living in the moment, rather than taking a photo of something, or experiencing it through a screen. I want to start living life without any baggage- LITERAL baggage. I don't want to be, A Material Girl

British, Blue eyed, Bass playing, Backpacker

A look across the dance floor, a jug of beer.

A crude open liner; honest & forward.

Whispers in our ears & yelling over the music.

Blue eyes & long wooly grandad jumpers.

English accent, music enthusiast, polite & a complete gentleman.

Cuddles under the moonlight & comparing constellations.

Rolling cigarettes between sneaky kisses.

Sand. Lots & lots of sand. 

In our hair, in our clothes, in our eyes.

In our mouths, on our lips.

Warm bodies & cold winds.

Being chased by the rain & watching the waves.

Facial hair & cloudy skies.

Long talks to accompany long walks.

Skin touching skin; tracing patterns.

Going down as the sun comes up.

3 hours sleep & tour guides.

Coffee & cool drinks.

A kiss to accompany a goodbye. 

Romance is not dead.

Thank you world, for this little slice of love

Empty Sheets

I was so used to sleeping to one side.

I was used to a body being beside me.

A body I could cuddle & spoon in the night. 

A body that kept me warm & stole the sheets.

But it's been a while since a body was in my bed.

It's been empty for a long time.

For ages I used it as a desk, a clothes dumping ground, a towel rack, a computer resting ground & just a general surface of things.

& I never roll over.

I never stretch out.

I've kept to this side for a long time.

Not because I think you're coming back.

But I wasn't used to being on my own.

I didn't know what to do with all the extra space.

& then I thought maybe I should leave it for someone else.

If I'm already in the habit of keeping to my side, why get out of it & have to start over again for a new person?

But, Today I came to a realisation.

My mum had cleaned my room & made my bed. 

Which meant is was open & empty & I had it all to myself.

It made me think of when I used to take up every inch I could, enjoying as many sheets as possible & whatever pillow I felt like sleeping on.

It reminded me of early nights & long sleep ins.

It reminded me of laying awake & staring at the ceiling, with just me & my thoughts. 

& I suddenly realised that I'm wasting a perfectly good half of a bed to an imaginary idea.

An idea of love & companionship that was & May or may not come again. 

Probably not anytime soon.

So I was wasting precious time.

Your side has been empty for long enough. & I don't have to fill it with anyone but myself. I can keep myself warm & I don't have to worry about giving anyone else space. Or comfort.

They are empty sheets,

But I can fill them myself.

It's all about me...

& that's how it should be.

Don't forget to love yourself first 💕