A few days ago as my husband was cleaning his parents’ car to return to them after their trip abroad, we were both thinking how much we were going to miss it. Particularly the leather seats, those are SO much easier to clean with kid’s messes. Wipe off and you’re good to go. The sunroof – all the glorious sun without the messy hair. The GPS – with my sense of direction, enough said! As well as the seat heat – a big plus when it’s cold and rainy in Vancouver. The back hatch is pretty useful too.
Anyway, when it came down to it I felt a little silly that I am going to ‘miss’ a car. As nice as it was having it for a few months of use for our family, it is still just a car. Not to mention the fact that compared to a lot of the world we are very fortunate to have a car. The car we own works perfectly well. It gets us where we want to go, and except for the crack in the windshield that needs to finally be replaced, it’s not bad at all.
It occurred to me that having too much attachment to ‘things’ is not ideal for me. When it happens I don’t beat myself up about it or anything. I am after all human, and I think wanting stuff is somewhat a part of our DNA. I don’t believe there is anything wrong with that.
What I find centers me is the knowledge that it really is not what you have in your life, it’s who. In that department my cup overflows, and I am extremely grateful. Instead of being sad to hand back the car that my husband’s parents so generously lent us, I choose to be grateful for having them in our lives. When it comes to sharing possessions with others I would have to say my in-laws set one of the most amazing examples of that! Something I believe all who know them, friends and family alike would strongly agree with. They are after all just things, and life is much more beautiful when shared.
The next time you find yourself getting caught up in all the stuff you want in life, try focusing on who you have in your life because that is far more important and gratifying than what.
Do you find sometimes you get overly attached to things? What helps centers you? Please share your thoughts in the comments.
