A number of years ago, while Kim and I were grocery shopping, somebody left a large scratch along the side of our maroon minivan. Clearly, another car had scraped it and drove off.
Pushing the cart of groceries, I noticed the scratch while we were still a bit away and immediately felt a pit in my stomach. Such an ugly mark, and so obvious to anyone who glanced at the passenger side of our van.
Worse than the scratch itself was the fact that the driver who had left it there had departed the scene without leaving his or her contact information so that we could access this person’s insurance for the repair.
This meant that if we were going to get the scratch fixed, we would have to pay for it ourselves. More likely, though, given the advanced age of the car, the scratch would remain there, spoiling its appearance.
My wife and I drove away in silence, both pretty upset.
In the quiet, I began to reflect on how the incident had impacted me.
I began noticing the anger and started to wonder why I so upset about a scratch on our minivan. Righteous anger that we had been wronged? Maybe a little I suppose. But more than that, I was upset that something of ours had become damaged.
The reality is that our vehicle was a large investment for us. It had cost us a lot of hard-earned money to buy this car, and we had spent a lot of time and energy caring for it.
If I’d gotten a similar scratch on my bicycle (for example), I wouldn’t have been nearly so concerned. It wasn’t nearly as expensive. But because the car represented a major financial investment for us (our second largest, after our house), I had a lot of emotions invested in it too.
There is a very true reality in life that we become emotionally invested into those items that cost us the most. Almost naturally, without warning, where we spend our money is where our attention and affection is drawn.
Unfortunately, too many of us are tying our hearts to the wrong things. We are devoting our lives to material possessions that will never bring lasting joy.
We shop for bigger houses, faster cars, trendier clothing, and cooler technology, and we shove more and more stuff into our already packed closets. Subsequently, our physical possessions require us to invest more and more time and energy into caring for them.
But lasting fulfillment can never be found in things that are temporal by nature. And our discontent is evidenced in our excess.
Instead, it is important for each of us to look outside ourselves—to find investments that tie our hearts to things that bring real joy, lasting purpose, and meaningful fulfillment. I’m talking about our family, our friends, our spirituality, and the causes we believe in.
That is where we should be devoting more of our time, energy, and financial resources. Because when we do, we are drawn to them even more.
Living with less enables us to be more generous and giving.
I’ve seen over and over again that minimalism can be the quickest shortcut to a life of greater and more lasting significance.
A lot of people might want to be more generous, but until they free themselves from the burden of spending too much money and accumulating too many possessions, they will not be able to do it.
There’s a richness in turning our excess into someone else’s supply. And the sooner we give to others, the sooner we discover the great potential each of our lives can hold.
Generosity, then, is not just an outcome of minimalism. It can also be a motivation for it.
Wouldn’t you like to be making a difference for the better in the lives of others both near and around the world?
Of course you would. Minimalism can get you there quicker. It is a shortcut to significance.
I have become so used to deliveries since the start of COVID. I continue to rely upon them and will, I believe, long into the future.
No driving to the grocery store, no parking lot “dings,” no exposure to germs, saves me time that I use to do things I enjoy more, no impulse buying, and I’m helping to provide income for others.
This does not apply to material things only. Sometimes we invest too much emotions in our jobs and careers such that when there is a setback, we experiences despair
I was thinking the same thing while reading this! It also has helped me realize I don’t need to stay in a job I am miserable at for the money and comfort it brings. I don’t need “things”. I crave a quiet peaceful life that I absolutely love.
Yes 🙌🏻 well said
Very relevant ideas and thoughts on having the goods and services actually what we need .in this modern age we have abundance of commodities requiring needful management. The problem is especially more serious in advanced countries .
I thought I was living a minimalist lifestyle. I didn’t think I had that many things…then I moved into an apartment after a divorce. This apartment complex has a storage room for each of us…mine is almost full! (Gasp!)
I understand the point of your post. BUT I buy a new car approximately every ten years and I park it far, far away from where I am going so after nine years there are still no dings in my doors. I even return carts to the corral even though it is two times closer to the store than I am parked. And guess what, I am not overweight at age 63. So you can imagine my frustration when I exit a store to find a shopping cart in the side of my vehicle that some idiot was too lazy to return to the corral. I shudder every time I see someone park a $40,000 vehicle as close as possible to their destination, and then I am already in the store by the time they find a close parking spot. Ugh!
So many of us are concerned about material possessions and their impact on us and our lives. We just renovated our house and I have been having hissy fits when kids have been scratching the surfaces of freshly painted walls. But then I remind myself that it’s going to happen anyway, kids are kids. The walls needs re coating in a few years as life leaves scratches where ever you live.
Wow i needed this today
just been involved with a situation at work and i thought why am i investing my heart, my time in a toxic place,
its not just purchases we need to be wise in what we invest in but every area of our life,
this has made me think about investment
thank you
sorry for the trolls who pranged your car
love Jacqueline
Thank you for your wise words Sikarin. I think we humans do need enlightenment in these times, to always seek the truth to live in harmony with each other, all of our non human friends, and with nature.
Sorry Judy,
But by asking people to vote is a right I don’t take lightly. Everything we do is connected in the Web of Life, good or bad. I did not ask anyone who or how to vote, that is the choice of each and everyone to search their conscience and make that decision.
I think if Joshua felt my post was inappropriate he would have not have posted it, and I do appreciate the opportunity to speak here with all of you.