We are surrounded by our possessions. They bring us a sense of place, comfort, or, a measure of control in an ever increasingly frenetic world. In some instances our possessions purchased with credit or, financed can come to “own” us in some very uncomfortable ways. There is no question there are a certain amount of these things that are required for daily living but, at some point, things become things. They take up space in the attic in the name of “I might need it some day”, take up space in the basement /crawlspace for a similar reason and also take up space in our brains.
This year, we proclaim 2016 the year of experiences. We’ve come to understand that the things we hold near and dear to us are not possessions, they are experiences. They are trips to celebrate with family or, friends. They are day trips to orchards to pick apples, goat dairy farms to see cheese produced. Craft festivals, bazaars, weekend trips to the mountains or, the beach, walks in the park or, sitting on the back/front porch. In short, family experiences are more valuable than things.
Our Experiences in 2016
Our experiences in 2016 are many. Some of them appear below.
- Our daughter’s birthday party.
- A Parents Getaway to Austin (Part 1 | Part 2). Not all experiences are exclusively family. Some are for the couple. :-)
- The Triad Highland Games
- Top Family Things to Do in Hilton Head, SC
- Our trip to Florida: A Summer Vacation Interrupted: Orlando, Melbourne and More
13 Responses
I couldn’t agree more! I’ve traveled extensively in my 20’s and my best assets are my travel memories. I hope to pass that on to my daughter. Rather spend money on experiences and shape who she will become as a person than a bunch of toys she’ll never remember.
Thanks for your comment Tanya. I hope we made this switch in time for our teenage daughter. She seems a little more tethered to devices. :-)
I had a rather large circle of friends and I have to say 90% of them are very motivated by their possessions who has the nicest car, the biggest house, the latest item of fashion and for a while I found myself being sucked into this, but in the end, it made me miserable and very insecure, if you didn’t have the £110 jeans you were not invited to coffee mornings, in the end, I distanced myself and focused on what mattered and that wasn’t the possessions I owned which can I add I had to work hard for while many of them had working husbands and they were housewives …. I actually see how shallow they were and I am more happier with my new circle of friends as we share experiences with each other we don’t talk about posessions.
Emma-
Thanks for sharing your experiences. We went through a similar situation, although we knew right away we didn’t have the means to “keep up”. So, we wound up finding some very good friends and walking away from some others. We were happier in the end. Though the realization was painful.
Hey Rob,
This is my first visit to your blog and I’m coming over from our LinkedIn group.
I’ve never been one to be big on possessions. I’ve never been about things, I’ve always been about my family and friends. Long story as to why but I agree with the experiences. I hope that more people will understand that it’s the people and experiences in our lives that are the most important. You can’t take things with you when you go and looking back which one would you have wanted the most!
Thanks for this reminder and I hope that 2016 brings you everything you desire.
~Adrienne
Thanks for visiting my blog Adrienne. I appreciate that agree with my sentiment. I hope 2016 is wonderful for you as well.
Thanks for dropping by from the LI group!
I will take experiences over possessions any day of the week!
Whilst experiences can be over in days/weeks and possessions may last years, “things” do not fulfill me as much. I would not hesitate to spend £1000 on a holiday (and have done so), yet would wince at spending £1000 on a bag. Logically, it makes no sense at all!
Thanks for your comment Phonecia, I believe it is all about priorities. Some will see it differently than me.
Just found your blog today – two for two posts that have me nodding along. Awesome.
Thanks Lisa! Glad it resonates with you.