Stuff And The Cosmos By Mike Freeman

 Stuff And The Cosmos

By Mike Freeman

January, 2024

   “Stuff.” One of my favorite words in the English language. It is fun to pronounce, especially slow and hitting the “ff’s” hard. It is an often-used and flexible word with many meanings. For example, back in my graduate college days, I could move from one place to another with one carload of stuff using my VW Bug. The word “stuff” here is used in a collective sense which included my stereo, clothes, pots and pans plus treasured electric beer signs.

   Growing up in grade school, there were occasional fights between people and one person would kick “the stuff” out of the other. Not sure what the stuff that got kicked out is exactly or where it remains but it must be something bad for the “destuffed” person to lose. One time a girlfriend told me to “grab my stuff and get out of her life!” Stuff there meant my coat, a few beers out of the refrigerator, and a newly acquired picture showing me kissing another girl

at a recent party.

   For me, the most confusing meaning of the word "stuff” is when I receive feedback from people, mostly friends and family, saying I have issues or stuff I need to deal with. For example, I hear that I am stubborn (I prefer the word persistent), obsessed (how about the word focused?), immature (I think youthful), a poor listener (a discerning listener?), emotionally out of touch (I am thinking stoic), irresponsible (can we agree on carefree?), unethical (I like boundary tester) and selfish (let's call it selective sharer).

   All of this feedback or stuff would bother me if I didn't know and believe that God does not create junky people full of “stuff.” We are all unique in our talents, perceptions, experiences, personalities, and physical appearance. He has a plan for each of us to achieve 100% of our potential if we can discover and live it.

   Given this insight, I realize even God has junk! What about that asteroid belt circling around our solar system between Mars and Jupiter? It is a bunch of stuff including debris, minor planets, asteroids, and irregularly shaped objects. When God got done creating the universe did He just leave this mess for someone else to clean up? What is he going to do with these leftovers if there isn't enough to make one more planet? Is He like my teenage children in that He will get to it next after He is done doing whatever it is He is doing?

   There is an old joke in Africa that God made the wildebeest out of leftover animal body parts! I am sure God has a plan for that asteroid belt stuff too!

   God has stuff, I have stuff, you have stuff, everybody has stuff. Having stuff is part of existence. If we have stuff that means we are alive and living. That is a good thing and why stuff is so important.