 |
| Chamarelle waterfall, Mauritius |
My sister is a shoe addict, and a clothes addict, and probably a nail varnish addict too. When she comes to visit, she always drags me to Penneys but the problem is, I just hate shopping. I only buy clothes if I need something specific to wear for an occasion or if I just come across a bargain by chance.
The thing is, I just don't see the point of having 20 pairs of shoes or a hundred clothes I will never wear. I don't care about the latest smartphone or a new flat screen. In short, I don't like spending money on things that won't last.
Material things eventually wear off but some memories can stay with you for ever.
I still remember the day I landed in Ireland, the first pub I went to, the first people I met. I remember the trip I took to the Cliffs of Moher, the crazy B&B owner in Kilkenny, the amazing seafood I ate in Kinsale. I remember my first Irish breakfast, the trip to Mauritius we took with our friends, or the Christmas dinner my host family cooked for my parents.
Before the digital camera and social media era, all my photographs were stored in big albums. Now they're all in my computer or my phone but sometimes I just take time to look at them randomly and it makes me realise everything I have accomplished throughout the years.
I'm not saying objects can't have the same effect. After all, I kept some of my kids newborn clothes, and I still have some of the books I read when I was a child, but they have a sentimental value. Of course, some things (even clothes!) can bring back memories, but the actual events and the people you shared experiences with: those are the things that will stay with you no matter what.
When you look back on your life, what will you remember? All the things you had or all the people you met and places you went to?
