The Blessing of the Missing Sandals

How much stuff is enough? I have been acutely aware of my stuff since moving to my very own home a year and a half ago. The post-divorce selection process was agonizing, as I sorted through almost 23 years worth of accumulated stuff. Some of it was sentimental, while so much of it was just stuff. I moved to a relatively small home and I made a conscious effort to pare down the stuff.

After the move, I found that I had somehow lost a huge box of summer shoes. Because my foot size hasn't changed in 4 decades, I had quite an accumulation of shoes in that box. I searched frantically for my lovely sandals, the sparkly red ones, the brown heels with beading, the casual comfy black ones, the white sexy ones. All missing. After about a week, I realized the blessing in the missing sandals. I didn't really need the thirty pairs in the box. How many did I really need? I could get by with two pairs, one black and one white, and so I went out and purchased those two pairs of shoes. 

Soon, I found myself falling in love with a comfortable pair of flip flops, and then a great cushioned sandal that would take the strain off of standing on my feet all day at summer camp. I still kept the number of shoes to a minimum, and it felt good to de-clutter the shoe collection.

A few months ago, I came home to find a huge box in my kitchen. Lo and behold, the missing shoes had turned up! Turns out that my son had them in his closet at his dad's house the whole time. I had mixed feelings about the no-longer-missing shoes. On the one hand, I was happy to rediscover the lost shoes that I had lovingly purchased and worn. On the other hand, I had managed really well with the few pairs of shoes that had replaced the lost collection. I didn't know where I would find a place to store the newfound shoes. I had no space! 

How much stuff do we really need? When I go away for the summer to sleep away camp, I live out of a large suitcase for two months and I am so happy. During the recession, so many people have had to pare down to the basics. We have learned what's really important in life, and it's really not the "stuff". It's our relationships, our good work contributing to others that really counts. 

People who have been enamored with their stuff as a means to an end have suffered greatly during this recession. Some have taken their lives or plummeted into a great depression.

Challenge for the day: Don't buy anything today that is not an absolute necessity. Instead, focus on making a difference in one person's life. Think of it as an investment in your life account. Adding to your happiness and fulfillment account is a much better investment in your life. Much more meaningful than a pile of sandals!