Happening so fast!

Well--when we got up this morning the plan was to clean house for holiday company. By 10:30 we were realizing that all the things we'd been listing on the "do pretty soon" list had become the "NOW!" list. In just 3 days we'll need to have everything that's going on this container to Nicaragua loaded up and ready to go. So today between mopping, laundry, and cleaning up one knocked over Christmas tree-- I packed the first 2 boxes. All I could think over and over was, "Already?!?" There's no doubt to me that only God could arrange this so quickly.
It was strange sitting in the kitchen floor with a half full plastic tote trying to figure out what else should go in. I confess--I am a kitchen gadget sucker. Some people like to buy shoes--I love perfectly round bowls, and different weights of wooden spoons. It's pretty ridiculous: we seriously have 6 ice cream scoops! But as I sat there thinking, "So what do I need?" The list was so small. It was such a revelation. Not intellectually. I obviously know in my brain that we have lots and lots of "stuff" that we can certainly do just fine without. But the experience of it--of not being able to find enough "stuff" to fill a small box among the mountain of objects I own--that I needed---that sensation was remarkable.
The last thing I want to do is make some pithy,self-righteous "holidays aren't supposed to be about shopping" plea. I like opening presents and watching people open presents. Shoot--in my family Mom used to wrap up the toilet paper, just so there were more things to open. (and after waiting for that package all morning--it was a big favorite of all!) No part of me is putting down the fun of gift giving. It's just that I'm really struck right now with the dissonance between the voices around me longing to be done with their shopping tasks--and my own wish to be done with the dispersal of all these objects around me. I feel really separate from that world right now.  I hope I can carry with me a lesson from this that is deeper than merely tempering my shopping list.