**As a belated 2015 New Years Resolution, I decided I would write a daily (or, almost daily, I know some days I just won’t be able to find the time) blog answering a thought provoking question from a long list of questions I found here in a quest of self exploration.
Today’s Chosen Question :
Do you celebrate the things you do have?
Dear Question : Do you think you could be a little bit more specific? What are you referring to as things? Solely material possessions, or is the use of this word meant to be broader?
If we are just going with material things then yes. To be honest the last year and a half I have learned to live a LOT simpler than I used to, and I like it. A lot. When I moved from the west coast to Nashville and started packing, and I got rid of SO much stuff that I realized I just – have no use for. Tons and tons of clothes I never wore. Bookshelves worth of paperbacks I knew I would likely never read again. What I didn’t throw or felt like I shouldn’t or couldn’t part with, I packed into boxes and left with my old roommate. I was planning on sending for the boxes but it just never really became a priority for me – I didn’t miss or need the things I had left behind. And I realized the merits of living a simpler life, of living with less possessions, of saying to yourself, “Am I using or will I be using this?” And if the answer is no, pass it on. Donate what you can (old clothes, books, etc) and throw away anything else that serves no purpose but take up space. If I have an extra twenty dollars in my pocket, I would rather call a friend and meet them for dinner or something than go out and spend that twenty on a possession I don’t need. Chances are a conversation with said friend over dinner is going to become a memory. Life is richer that way, memories are so much more valuable than a fifth scarf or a sixth throw-pillow for your couch.
Now, if we are talking “things” in a broader sense, the answer is still a definitive YES. I think actually, in this current moment, I have learned to celebrate things in my life more than ever before. I appreciate my family and friends. I have learned to really celebrate the merit of change, and of effort. I celebrate the notions of empathy and forgiveness, the latter being something I struggle with a lot in general. I celebrate people who share my most basic values, and I celebrate autonomy. I have learned that there is so much in life that we don’t have and that we want (because no one can have everything, lets be realistic here) but life seems filled with so many more possibilities and joys if you look around and what you DO have, and embrace and appreciate every small moment of happiness you can find.
Kell Frillman - Author 