Many Januarys ago, as the ho ho hos of the holiday season abruptly transitioned to the ho ho hums of winter, I came across this abandoned television on a walk around the neighborhood. (Sad face added by me.) I’m sure this one-time technological marvel was the highlight of some Christmas past, but there it sat on the side of the road, abandoned, amidst dirty piles of old snow, valueless. I had no doubt a new TV was in its place; better, flatter, higher def…and also destined to be discarded in a few years.
It was an oversized reminder of our obsession with stuff and our never-ending chase of the latest and greatest. We so easily forget that while we prioritize the tangible — physical things we can see, touch, and that take up space — their most consistent attribute is how they distract us from the things that matter.
Indeed, it’s our experiences — the intangible, fleeting moments of our lives — and the memories they leave behind, that become our most highly valued treasures.
It’s the beauty of the light from a hundred candles in a darkened church on Christmas Eve, the afternoon spent together covered in flour while baking snicker doodles, tucking some deliriously excited but exhausted kids into bed after a late night at Grandma’s; these are the moments that rush by too fast (rudely neglecting to warn us of their importance as they go), and are more valuable than a million big screen TVs.
When we spend money on stuff, it usually depreciates in value over time. This year’s must-have Christmas gift is next year’s Goodwill contribution.
However, the money we invest in experiences is different. The memories we make appreciate in value as we get older and loved ones move on. The money we spend on experiences is always a bargain and leaves us with longer-lasting feelings of happiness. We usually wish we had savored them more when we had the chance.
Instead of buying a “thing” for someone you care about, you might consider gifting them an experience of some kind. It could be a simple weekend trip, concert tickets, a nice dinner out, an offer to babysit for a whole day, a scholarship for an art class, an evening of bowling, or a visit to a spa for a massage. The possibilities are endless.
Now, I seem to be always adding to my Funko Pop collection, and I’d like to upgrade my grill, but just as no one on their deathbed ever said they wished they spent more time at the office, no one ever said, “I wish I had accumulated more stuff!”
But certainly more than a few people have wished they’d taken more family vacations, thrown more parties, undertaken more adventures, or created more memories with the people they loved.
This is not as much a rant against stuff as it is a rally for mindfulness.
In many ways, this year will be the same as the last: filled with temptations to chase the tangible, as well as thousands of opportunities to seek out, embrace, and savor that which is not.
May our goal be to look for ways to invest in memories that get more valuable each passing year.
It sure beats accumulating a future ornament for the end of our driveway.
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