家有上品

by Gretchen Rubin

With all the supply lists， school clothes and emergency contact sheets required before September begins， I can barely 1）keep track of everything I have to buy， fill out or turn in. The new school year means that a bunch of new stuff will pour into our apartment—and I still havent figured out what to do with all the stuff from last year.

I recently pulled down from a shelf a large， wooden art project that my 7-year-old had made and tried to decide its fate. On the one hand， I couldnt imagine throwing away this precious relic of her childhood. On the other hand， I live in Manhattan， and I needed to make room for her new creations. 2）Paralyzed with indecision， I shoved it back on the shelf.

This is the cultural 3）dilemma that supports a multibillion-dollar storage industry： we love our stuff， and we also dream of being free of it. According to the Self Storage Association， 1 in 10 American households rents a storage unit. And still our closets， attics， basements and garages are jampacked with stuff.

面对九月到来前要备好的所有必需品清单、校服和紧急联系人名单，要买的、要填的、要交的，一切都有点让我晕头转向。新学年意味着一堆新物品会涌进我们的房子里——然而我都还没想好该如何处置上一年的东西。

最近我从某架子上取下一大件木制的艺术作品，那是我七岁的孩子的手工作业，我尝试对其命运作出选择。一方面，我舍不得丢弃孩子童年珍贵的纪念物；另一方面，我住在曼哈顿，我需要为孩子的新创作腾出空间。犹豫不决之下，我只好把它塞回架子。

正是这样的文化习惯让人左右为难，以数十亿美元计算的仓储业也应运而生：我们爱我们的物品，然而我们也渴望摆脱其束缚。根据美国自助存储协会的数据，每十个美国家庭中就有一个租借储物空间。而且我们的橱柜、阁楼、地库和车库依然被塞满了东西。

The Department of Energy estimates that 25 percent of people who have two-car garages dont park their cars inside.

All this 4）clutter can drive people to desperate lengths. I know a guy who recklessly deleted every e-mail in his in-box to achieve the 5）ecstasy of“in-box zero.” Another 6）acquaintance celebrates New Years by tossing out every single item in her fridge. “Even a bottle of ketchup thats still half full？” I pressed. “Everything，” she answered. Theres something about getting control over stuff that makes us feel more in control of life. While were constantly bombarded with messages of“More！” and “Buy now！” were also offered the 7）tantalizing promise “Youll be happier with less！”

But simplicity is complicated. （Even 8）Thoreau， in his famous 9）admonition “Simplicity， simplicity， simplicity！” couldnt limit himself to a single “simplicity.”）

美国能源部估算，那些拥有两个车库的人当中有25%车库都不是用来停车的。

这种杂物成堆的状况会把人逼向极端。我认识一个小伙子，他不顾后果地删除收件箱中的每一封电邮，以求达到“收件箱零邮件”的快感。另一好友用扔掉她冰箱中每一件物品的方式来庆祝新年。“即使是还剩半瓶的蕃茄酱也扔掉？”我特意问道。“每一件。”她回答道。把握对物品的主导权，这很重要，让我们更感觉自己掌控人生。当我们被“更多”、“立刻买”这样的信息持续轰炸时，我们同时也听到一个焦急的声音说着“占有少，快乐多！”

但简约是一件复杂的事情。……