I lost everything I owned in a fire. This is how it reframed my thinking about owning material things.

Sat, 04/20/2024 - 05:52

Helen Chandler-Wilde's belongings had been packed up into storage while she stayed with her parents after a break-up.
But then she got a call that a fire at the unit had destroyed everything she owned.
Losing everything was hard, she told BI. But it reframed her thinking about how much you really need to be happy.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Helen Chandler-Wilde about what it was like to lose all of her possessions in a fire. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I only heard about the fire a few days after it happened.

I was 25 at the time and living with my parents for a few months following a breakup. All my belongings had been packed into storage while I looked for somewhere new to live.