Flea Market

I have heard it said and I believe that sooner or later, you don't own your stuff, it owns you.  My husband and I are enjoying a little vacation.  Yesterday, we went through a couple of antique stores and to a large open air flea market.

For those not familiar with the term flea market, it is also called a bazaar, or a car boot sale.  Basically, a flea market is a place where people come to sell their stuff to other people.

Some of the stuff is quite nice.  Often artisans are located at flea markets, selling custom made soaps and oils, quilts, clothes and art.   There are amazingly talented people in this big old world, and seeing them display their talents is always a treat.

Because we are traveling, after seeing all that stuff, going back to the hotel room with only the stuff I packed for this trip got me to thinking about the house full of stuff at home, and what I really miss.

I miss my coffee mugs.  I have a bunch of extra large mugs that are perfect for cafe au lait.  On the road, I get a lot of coffee in disposable cups, and hardly ever get my cafe au lait.

I miss my pillow.   Right now, I feel like I have the perfect pillow, and whenever I sleep in a hotel, no matter how nice the pillows are, they are not as nice as my pillow.

I miss my yoga pants.  I usually always put a pair in my suitcase, but this time I forgot. I know yoga pants get a bad rap, but they are one handy item of clothing.  If you put on pajamas, and then need to go to the lobby or the ice machine, if you are older than six, you look kind of goofy.  Yoga pants fill the gap.  You can even run to a convenience store or a fast food restaurant in a pinch.  After all, no one knows you.

I miss my pink notebook.  It is the keeper of my ideas, and it is sitting on the desk at home.

But that is about it.  All the other stuff at my house is just stuff, that if it disappeared, I wouldn't really miss it.

I have keepsakes and treasures, and I know if I lost them I would be sad, but it would be less than honest to say I would miss them.

The true treasures in my life are living creatures.  My husband, my daughter, my family and friends, my Beaux and Scarlett.  The memories I make with them, and the time I spend with them are what I would miss most if it were gone.

My husband and I have been married for more than twenty-nine years.  We have so much shared experience, so many shared memories, that we have a language all our own inside our relationship.  Phrases that mean nothing to someone else are rich with meaning and memory for us.  That is the treasure in life.

I talked to my daughter last night.  We talked about everything and nothing.  Just hearing her voice and spending time with her is treasure.

It can be easy to get caught up in the stuff of our lives.  Things to buy, things to own.  And then you can get caught up in the care and feeding of that stuff.  And miss out on the time to make memories with your loved ones.

The stuff is all transient.  We are all transient.  As much as possible, try to recognize the treasure in your life isn't stuff, it is time.

And time well spent with loved ones increases your treasure trove of memories.  And those memories are worth far more than any amount of stuff.