Getting your first paycheck. Watching the sun rise at the horizon. Meeting your friends after a long time. Finishing a really good book. They are all moments. For me, good experiences hold more value above everything else. A few days ago was one of my most favourite festivals, Raksha Bandhan. The festival celebrating the bond of brothers and sisters. This is followed by the brother gifting his sister a little something.
This year, my brother handed me a pen drive as a gift. What I saw left me speechless. The entire collection of one of my most favourite cartoons, Baby Looney Tunes! Another special gift which I will always cherish was the one I received on my 15th birthday.
I was SO SO surprised to see her name pop up in my inbox! I remember prancing around the entire house, screaming my lungs out on seeing her email. Truly made that birthday a VERY special one. As I write this blog post, it takes me back to all the times I felt the happiest.
And I realised they were ALL certain special moments, and not material items except for a few books :P. The time I launched this blog. The time I wrote my first poem. The time I fit into my old favourite shirt after achieving my desired weight. We are living in a materialistic world. We are spoilt for choice with the multitude of options for clothes, footwear, gadgets and a lot more. And there is nothing wrong in wanting to buy all them.
They make us happy, after all. But the underlying message is that the best things in life are free. Moments and experiences over things. A Music Buff. A Bibliophile. An Organisation Freak. A KonMari Enthusiast. A Minimalist. A Fitness Freak. Writing is something I am highly passionate about. Marie Kondo will put it better than we ever can.
Getting rid of these things is quite liberating. The key is not to collect things that will clutter your home. Even when we travel, we no longer buy travel souvenirs. It is important to support the local economy with your tourist dollar, but we prefer to do this by way of experiences. We eat in small, family-run restaurants and take family-run tours. Declutter your house to declutter your mind. They may be absolutely besotted with their new toy but this obsession is fleeting.
The toy soon gets discarded and eventually forgotten. Memories, on the other hand, last a lifetime. Experiences that we have had during our travels will resurface as memories during a conversation and these memories provoke happy feelings.
You can argue that some experiences like skydiving or flying a plane are expensive but some of the best moments for us have been completely free. Either going on family walks and watching the kids discover a new animal or sitting on the beach watching a sunrise or a sunset.
We love being by water as we find it so calming. Waterfalls are a big favourite too. Travel has its moments. Kids learn so much by getting out there and doing it rather than reading about it. Getting the kids outside and doing outdoor activities is so much more rewarding. They make friends on our travels, particular in family friendly campsites , and develop social skills and an appreciation for other cultures.
When we travel together as a family, everyone is less stressed and in a happier frame of mind. Over the years we have found that our family is much closer when we are travelling because of this happier frame of mind. There are less tantrums and less arguments. The boys get on particularly well when we travel, although thankfully they get on pretty well at home too.
However when it comes to experiences, it becomes harder to put a numerical value on memories. They teach us how to face and even conquer our fears.
Experiences can test us at times, and show us what we are capable of accomplishing. Hiking up to the top of a mountain, for example, can test your endurance. Rock climbing or bungee jumping may help you conquer a fear of heights.
Exploring a non-English speaking country can help you become more patient. If you attend a concert, you are in a venue full of other people enjoying the same music as you. Being closer to other people tends to make us happier. I think most of us can agree that we prefer to hear about what someone did over the weekend as opposed to what purchases they may have made.
I remember when I arrived in Venice, it rained the entire first day. I was so bummed, but rather than stay at the hotel, I went out and explored the empty streets. I look back on this now and am happy I made the most of that day. Constantly being exposed to our material items can cause us to appreciate them less.
No matter how exciting an initial material purchase might be, it eventually becomes part of the background. Experiences tend to be brief, but the memories from these moments can last a lifetime.
I can happily share these memories with others around me today. Experiences are the sum of your identity. However, when you meet up later that night for drinks with friends, you may see one of your friends carrying the real Prada bag.
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