My grandfather was a professor of speech and psychology until his retirement a few years ago. Growing up I was corrected many times on incorrectly speaking. When you are young it is more annoying than anything, but now it holds a different truth. Probably the number one thing I was corrected on was the use of the word “stuff.” What is “stuff,” really?

I am sure that I am not alone in using the work “stuff” in place of the time needed to properly express what the actual “stuff” is that we were referring to. I began to think of “stuff” differently now. I view “stuff” as a stopping point, not a conclusion. It is like a crutch we use in order to not finish or do what needs to be done in order to deal with the “stuff.”

Do you have “stuff” lying around? I know that I do. What is that stuff lying around? Is it your shoes and coat that has yet to find a proper home? How about the magazines and mail that has yet to be sorted on your table? I have to remind myself from time to time that the table is meant to be eaten on, not for storing letters and bills.

And stuff. How many times have you heard this used in a statement and have no idea what is actually trying to be said? Is the use of “stuff happens” just a copout for I have no excuse as to why I didn’t meet you for dinner last week?

Whenever you find yourself in the midst of stuff, surrounded by stuff, dealing with stuff, remember that stuff is not a conclusion. Find a spot for your mail. Organize your inbox so that each message that comes in is dealt with. Clear out that junk drawer and put something useful in there for a change. Pick of those clothes off your floor and put them in a basket! Show that you have the stuff it takes to rid yourself of stuff.

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