Words to Live By

"It's possible to own too much. A man with one watch knows what time it is, while a man with two watches is never quite sure."
-Lee Segall

America is a great country. The land of opportunity; a wealthy, privalaged nation. It's easy to get caught up in the consumerism mind-set that many Americans have. I find myself browsing online shopping sites, toying with the idea of buying home decor items, and coveting a fancy new moisture-wicking yoga shirt that I can't afford in the first place. Why do we really need it all? It's not to say that we don't need new clothes every now and again to replace worn ones, or that we can't treat ourselves to something we want after working hard for the money we have, or that our houses should be plain and ugly. But do we really need all the STUFF? Really?

I have so much gratitude in my heart for the "things" in my life. I have everything I need to survive: clothes, food, water, shelter, medicine. Anything above and beyond that are "things" that I don't need to justify a happy life. Yes, I have a monster television, a nice bed, pretty candle decorations and such around my house, one too many pairs of my favorite Gap jeans. And I don't feel guilty for having them. But over the last several months, I have been trying to whittle down the "junk" and just appreciate what I do have without adding more to it or feeling frustrated by not being able to afford to buy more things that I didn't really need in the first place.

If you know me, you may or may not know that my "little" brother is in the ARMY, currently serving overseas with fellow American heroes. He is an inspiration to me every single day, and I couldn't be prouder of him. One day last year, I found myself jabbering about something that I was thinking of buying, and not in a malicious or hurtful way he said, "Everything I have in the world right now is in the trunk of my car." We started talking about it, and he said how refreshing it was to not have to deal with... STUFF! He's happy with what he has, and it's all he needs for the situation he's in right now. But I so understand what he meant. As long as we are healthy, have food, shelter, and medicine, what else to we really need?