Do You Love Your Things?

At the end of my daily walk with my dog, I stopped for a minute and looked around my property. In that brief pause, I said, “I love all I have. Otherwise, I would un-have it.”

As we start the holiday season with Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Americans will spend between $980 billion and $990 billion on holiday-related gifts and experiences in 2024. That is a lot of consumption. My questions are: Why? And will the consumer and the ones they buy for love and cherish what they receive?

Almost every weekend, one can find a garage sale. Many folks cannot fit their vehicles in their garages because they are filled with ‘stuff.’ Often, the ‘stuff’ owners don’t have any idea what the content of the multitude of boxes in their garage is.

Take Inventory

Have you ever walked inside and outside your home and taken inventory? How much of what you have do you love? Does it bring you joy? Maybe at one time, you felt you couldn’t live without it, and then the newness tarnishes, and you are on to the next must-have thing.

My house burned to the ground several years ago, and I lost everything except the few items that I was able to take with me when I evacuated ahead of the oncoming fire. It is humbling to lose your possessions. It is also inspiring. I decided that as I was rebuilding my home, I would use as many reclaimed materials as possible. I promised myself that my consumption would be purposeful. To this day, all these years later, I still have rooms in my home that have very little in them. As I select things to add to my living environment, I intend them to be purposeful and to bring joy to me and my visitors.

An Invitation

I invite you to do the same thing. Are you surrounding yourself with people, places, and things that inspire you and add a sense of purpose to your life? If not, un-have them. Sell the stuff on eBay or at a garage sale. Step away from relationships that don’t support you and value you. Go to places that bring you ease and contentment. Intention is how one designs a life one loves.

Give yourself the gift of purposeful consumption. It is amazing how little one needs to be happy.