Love People, Use Things

one of the great philosopher kings

I read an interesting article in the New York Times this morning and you can read it here.

I won't repeat the arguments in the piece, since you can read it through the link above, but the gist of the article is that fame, fortune and money do not buy happiness.

Only through loving people, all people, and finding ways to support them, can we find happiness.

I think most of us know that.

And yet...

And yet, we spend a lot of time in our lives chasing things, possessions as an activity in and of itself.

We are all susceptible to this.  We are constantly inundated about glamorous images of other people's homes, vacations, new purchases.

It all looks so amazing.  We don't see the cobwebs in the corner, the spat in the car en route to a restaurant, the credit card bill.

I saw one of those Facebook images the other day that talked about how people work harder to acquire things which in turn forces them to work harder to maintain those things.

When I was working crazy hours I was not able to invest as much time in the people I love (except for my family) and I can tell you that it made me feel empty and lost at times.  Since I have been able to invest time in my friends regularly, I feel like a different, happier, person.


The article made me think of the changes in my life over the past couple of years...

Yesterday, Naomi had a wonderful post about her evolving blog.

I have had my own blog crisis of late.

When I began this blog I was writing about redefining my personal style as I headed into my fifties.

Then I up and left my job to start over and move into new directions.

I have struggled to get over the habit of purchasing clothing for a life that I no longer live.  I think that takes time and I do feel I am on track.

When I used to get stressed at work, really stressed, I bought new shoes!  Now I have either given half of my shoes away or am consigning them.  I don't wear 'em.  The infamous wall of shoes is probably down by at least 15 to 12 pairs.

And slowly, I am getting better about only buying what I need versus buying because something would be fun to have.  There is a cost to all things, and monetary is only part of it.

I continue to try and simplify and lighten up, which probably explains my move to a lighter house and clothing palette.

Because of all of this, the blog is evolving.

I share a lot on this blog, but to be honest, my life isn't that exciting.

However, what I do share is 100% me, good or bad, no varnish or polish, warts and all.  If you walked in my house and met me, you would find me exactly as what you see here.  Although I do hope I am funnier in real life!

But I have less money than I had before and much less desire to shop.  You aren't going to see a lot of clothing posts now.  I feel foolish doing outfits now; I am quite sure you have seen all I own and really I don't often have much to say about it all.

I don't live in a fancy house.  All renos are done by us and done on the cheap.

I am not going to be going on a ton of exotic trips.

My feelings towards things are changing and I am not sure if that is entirely due to my changing circumstances, turning 50, being tired of it all, or all of the above.

When I read the article this morning, I was reminded yet again that it is people, not things that give us pleasure in life.

So I will keep blogging, but the blog is beginning to morph into something else, although into what I am still unsure.

I hope many of you will continue to come along for the ride, as it is the people that pop in that are important to me.

Oh and every now and then we will talk about clothes.  I will always like clothing.  But right now, I feel like I am more interested in how I can better serve people, through my writing, my actions, my life.

I feel like I am on another journey and it may be about making my own corner of the world, myself included, a place of joy.

I love my new life and every day is an adventure.  

Have a great day and stay safe out there!

xoxo wendy