Real Value Added

8:18 AM

N 34 29.25
W082.59.223

I’ve got two material “things” among my possessions that I value far more than the next say, 10 or 15 “things” on the Most-Important list.

Not gonna say what they are (because it’s unimportant) but let’s describe Item #1 as a very unique “tool.” It’s absolutely not anything essential or something I couldn’t live without; it’s merely frightfully expensive and an affectation I’ve carried since I was a kid, and I was very fortunate to finally find just what I wanted.

At the opposite end of the scale is Item #2. On a good day, I might find someone willing to trade me a can of Diet Coke for this item, but I doubt it. So how does Item #2 end up ranking alongside Item #1?

Because Item #2 is something I could never give to myself: it was a gift I received from the person it who it belonged to and chose to give away. To me.

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If I ever lost Item #1 (or it was stolen), the insurance company might growl and snarl but eventually they’d end up writing a check. Might take years, but eventually I could probably find something to replace Item #1. So in financial terms at least, there’s no much chance of suffering a loss.

But no amount of money could replace Item #2.

There’s just no replica, substitute or any other “thing” like it. It’s irreplaceable and valuable because it represents the person who gave it to me: it’s not something I could steal or earn for myself. Item #2’s value comes from the importance I’ve attached to my relationship with the person who willingly gifted it to me … and in thinking what gifting this thing to me meant for the person who gave it away.

The only way Item #2 could ever lose its value is if I changed my mind about the person, and felt our relationship was no longer as important as it was.

Item #2’s value might seem entirely symbolic and over-rated, but its importance is still solid in its place alongside Item #1. And Cash is Trash if time ever came to replace it.

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Uh in case you’re wondering, if I were ever forced to choose between the two which one would I pick? Among all of life’s most difficult decisions, that one would prove to be by far the easiest.

Gosh Joe, frankly I’m not buying it. You’re assigning a lot of value to something that’s practically worthless.

Sure, but writing this now, I realized that even more important than stuff is remembering what it feels like giving it away.