Treasures Versus Trinkets

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August has been very busy in my household. I have decided to finally clean and de-clutter the entire house; basement, garage, attics, closets .. the works.

There have been many loads brought to Goodwill and Worth a Second Look in Kitchener-Waterloo. I have brought an entire truckload of paint cans, batteries, oil and fluorescent tubes to the Regional dump for proper disposal. Countless items I left at the curb for my neighbours and other KW residents to enjoy. There was no need for a garage sale, some ads on Kijiji ensured that all went quickly.

The rest has then gone out in the weekly garbage.

It was the accumulation of almost 20 years worth of “stuff” from living in our home with my two daughters as they grew up into adulthood. It left me to wonder why I felt such a sense of relief to see it gone, to see our home now clean, spacious and orderly.

I was reminded of a quote by Jim Rohn, “We must teach our children not to spend their money a dollar at a time. If you spend your money a dollar at a time, you’ll wind up with trinkets instead of treasures. You can’t buy much of value a dollar at a time.”

Much of the accumulated stuff, was just that.. trinkets. The things that I treasure are far fewer.. my home itself, and especially the memories of my kids lives growing up here. The day to day experiences, the triumphs and the sorrows of lives shared with loved ones. Being present in those experiences is what I treasure.

Share with me in the comments below what you treasure, and are grateful for this lovely day.

Comments

  1. So true! Please teach my kids the same principle 😉