Week 39 - ending 9/30: Happiness Under a Tree

When I moved I left with two suitcases of mostly clothing. I brought a few other items over the years but not much. When I moved from my temporary housing at a hotel to my first apartment, my roommate and I used a limo because we each had only two suitcases to move.

Now I have a two bedroom place and way more than two suitcases worth of things. I often look around and take a mental inventory of my stuff. Do I need all this stuff? Do I use all this stuff? Am I keeping this stuff for the one day a year I may need it? Is it a privilege to have all this stuff? Am I holding on to things to fill empty emotional spaces?

When I look back, some of my happiest times were when I had the least. Perhaps when we have little physical possessions we seek to possess memories with people and experiences.

Or maybe we have more free time because we have less to clean.

Either way, now things have changed. I have more physical possessions to inventory and less people and experiences to inventory. Perhaps it is just a product getting older and life changing.

A few months ago I went to Ala Moana beach park for a fundraiser with friends. As we were taking down the tents and moving things back to the car, I noticed a homeless man sitting against the palm tree. He had a radio and was playing music. I don't recall the song that was playing but I know it was from the 80's sometime.

As he sat there, leaning again the palm tree with his legs stretched out in front of him, he closed eyes and started singing. A smile covered his face and glow of happiness surrounded.

I am not sure what world he was in listening to that song, but I imagine he was reliving some joyous times of this past. Perhaps he was thinking of a girl he fell in love with or good times hanging out with friends.

No matter what he was thinking about, seeing the joy on his face was infectious. It was also a reminder that while he may be alone now, reliving those moments take away any loneliness. It is also a reminder that while those occurred with others, the emotion and feeling he associates with that time, are his and his alone. People may not look back at the same moment and have the same emotions associated with it.

Life is made of the memories you create. Life is the emotion, and feeling, you generate within yourself during every moment of your life.

When I start to get caught up in the things of life, I will try to remember the simple reminder from the guy sitting under the palm tree. Life is not physical possessions but memories. And memories are yours to relive anytime you want.