Possessions

 The Possessions Acquired 

In my new 44th year of life, I have concluded something with the help of my volunteer job at Goodwill. Just like the mail there will always be “things” to sort and put in the right spot. At Goodwill I often sort and hang up clothes that all for whatever reason not wanted by their first owner. Maybe the clothes do not fit anymore, or the owner wants more space. Sometimes I even hang up clothes with the original brand-new tags on them. Every day at Goodwill people get rid of material items and people pick up material items. Possessions come and go. 

We acquire possessions that in time we might not need anymore. Possessions are not permanent. Once we leave this life our material items will be unused and possibly donated to Goodwill for new people to acquire. The people in our life left in this world will oversee giving away our possessions that we cannot use anymore.

It is not our possessions that are important. Although my vinyl collection is very important to me. However, it will not go with me to the afterlife. Hopefully, the afterlife has cool jazz by the John Coltrane quartet. One can conclude material items do not last. What does last? It is something you cannot hold in your hand or put on a turntable. What last is experience or actions. Experience warms as it embraces the heart and soul as it affects our senses. 

I just came back from Paris France. As many times I have seen pictures of the Eiffel tower it does not hold a candle to see it in person. It was massive and it inspired me to take a mental photo which not only involves the tower but the coolness of the air, the different languages spoken, and the people like me unable to look away. 

I shared this experience with my parents, and the fullness of my soul and the love in the moment I had towards them cannot be forgotten. It also cannot be put on a secondhand clothes rack as it blows into the past. The only way I could corner it inside my walls was by making a photo book. 

I received the photo book in the mail a few days ago. Some of the feelings I had from the photos were filtered and not as strong as actually being there. As I slip into the different photos on the pages, I realized the actual experience can be a powerful memory for me. 

In this upcoming year, I plan to have delicious meals and have adventures with my loved one’s. I will collect experiences not possessions that I will outgrow or sale second hand. 


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