These Are a Few of His Favourite Things

POSSESSIONS grip in life because we, as people, were made to possess things. The irony is we possess nothing when we die but our soul.

Certainly our penchant to possess can warp into idolatry when our grip tightens, and addiction and abuse are only two examples of binds that bury us and/or others in burden. Yet, not all possessions are so unhelpful.

I've been captivated to watch my four-year-old son with his belongings of late. Not the toys he's received as gifts, but the things he's made himself or accumulated. A keyring. A do-not-disturb sign. A biplane made from pop-sticks. A frisbee. A precious notepad and sharpened pencil. A Bible; one without pictures. A mobile we made together. A set of paper plates. He's always been most captivated by the obscurest things. They're so special to him.

He possesses these things. And whether he holds them for a day or two or months matters little to him. These accoutrements play a vital role in his play.

The life that small children bring to life is a perspective that invites wisdom. It's not as if possessions that are important to others are important to them. There's no comparison (apart from the unconscious modelling of their parents' lives). There's an intrinsic importance to these items that neither he can describe, nor we can explain. And the creative world of a pre-schooler continues to baffle the marketer.

What 'toys' make their way into his favourite things tomorrow is anyone's guess. But I praise God that he chooses, through criterion unknown even to him, and certainly devoid of anyone else's influence.

If only my creativity were so impervious to outside influence! If only my passions were so free of a conscious beyond myself.

A small child's creative play is beyond the comparison of envy. Ours can be, too. Imagine if only it were so. The freedom we could live as we reside in that creative space.

It's important in life to possess the right things for the right reasons at the right time.

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Whispering To The Wind (Keeping Issues In Instead Of Letting Them Out)

Recently, I got rid of the rest of my feelings of envy that were left in my spirit by talking about it with the woman I love. I genuinely lifted the burden by acknowledging it and letting it out. this is what this article is about. Sure,hate is a horrible cancer, but envy in all reality is worse and more nasty because those feelings are so easy to overlook within ourselves.

Some people see the grass as greener on the other side and genuinely neglect their own in the process. That is one form of envy. Another form of envy is to be angry enough to kill for what another has to the cost of neglecting your possessions and consciousness.

Think about the fact that if your life gets proper care, you have nothing to envy within or outside of yourself. Everyone conscious has the potential to be a contained spirit sufficient within itself. Indeed, the ultimate envy is neglecting yourself and wishing you had it better without earning it.

So, my advice, admit everything, especially to yourself. Get clean, clear and real, then make your self what you want to be. The "Buck" stops and starts there. Make a realistically beneficial decision for yourself. The other day, I was reading the book by Napoleon Hill called "Outwitting The Devil" and I realized that destructive envy is not something we consciously choose. We do create it though through our tears of effort and reality. How we deal with it all is as important as how we do not deal with it all.

So what it takes to have opposing or opposite views of my own comes from these spiritual and psychic factors: Fearing to deal with anything is the worst way to live and die. Courage and strength is the way or nothing at all. Freedom of the self comes from ultimate courage anyway. In life, we either do or we do not. So, start thinking, is fear and envying courage really worth it? In my mind, it is not. I cannot answer for you though, I can only answer for me.

After all, all of our answers are within us, not outside anywhere. What do you think the saying really meant about "The Buddha did all he could, gave up, then he found enlightenment"? or my favorite preaching quote: "Nobody else but Christ could be Christ." Think about it and realize, we have to make our own realistic and beneficial choices.

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5 Reasons Why It's Difficult To Give Up On Material Things

No one said it would be easy to simplify. Ask anyone who has moved to a more minimalist lifestyle, and they'll tell you that there can be a lot of resistance comes up. But it's only stuff.

Why do we have such a tough time finding a new home (including the trashcan) for items we no longer need or use? It's all about the emotions surrounding the items that cause us to hold on tightly. Below are the top 5 reasons on why such a move to simplicity is a challenge to most of us.

#1 Stuff makes us feel secure 

We buy with our emotions, not logic, which means we invest emotionally in our possessions. Having a lot of stuff makes us feel safe and secure. How many things do you keep around "just in case"?

Having a lot of stuff or expensive items gives us status in our society, which also makes us feel important and secure in our place in the world.

#2 We spent our hard-earned cash on it 

Many people feel wasteful and guilty when they start de-cluttering their things. They think about how much they senselessly spent on items that are now simply cluttering up their homes, garages, basements, and sometimes even storage space they are paying a monthly fee on.

#3 We know we should use it 

Guilt also comes in the form of "should's." We should use our treadmill. We should wear that expensive suit. A lot of times we buy special or nice things and then only use them for good, which is usually very rare or we forget about them when we are preparing for a special occasion.

#4 It was a gift 

Even if our least favorite aunt gives us a hideous lamp for the holidays, something we would never put out, we keep it in a closet, basement or storage unit. We feel it's mean to donate something that someone put thought and money into, even though we hate it. So the guilt keeps us hanging onto it.

#5 It reminds us of better times 

We hold onto stuff from our past, most of which has no monetary, but a sentimental value. Keeping a few small items isn't a big deal, but when we feel we need to keep everything from our carefree college days or all the love letters we've ever received, it can take up a lot of space and emotional energy.

Being unwilling to part with things that remind us of happier times can be a red flag that we aren't happy with our current situation.

Everyone feels emotional when going through their stuff to de-clutter. It's natural, so when you experience this, don't beat yourself up. Just be aware that even though they are just things, we are typically connected to them in various ways because of the emotions that we have attached to them.

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