Little Gifts of Gold

You know how it's said that it's the little things in life that make us happy?

One of the thoughts I came home with from my trip was how much "stuff" I have that I don't need, but yet I keep buying more.....something I was well aware of before I left. This reminded me of a time in my past....

When Mark and I were first married we lived next door to an elderly couple, the husband's name was Wayne, but I can't remember the wife's name....anyway.... This couple had been married forever, at least 50 years as they were both in their late 70's, but they never had children of their own. They had built a small house but yet owned the largest piece of land in the neighborhood. They invited me in a few times and it was walking into a time warp. The decor was as if I walked onto the set of an "I Love Lucy" episode in the 40's or 50's. I didn't think too much of it at the time but for some reason I thought about them yesterday as I was reflecting on this subject.

It was apparent that once Wayne and his wife built and furnished their home, unless something broke they felt no need to buy more, or new, just to have more or to have something new. They also kept everything they owned looking new and immaculate. What a concept!

I'm also reminded of one of my trips to Italy. I was lucky enough to stay with an Italian caterer to learn some cooking and was shocked to see her use pots and pans that are barely "Goodwill" starndards in this country! Here I was using only "top" quality cookware and quite a snob (at the time) about it. She and her family still used plates and cups with chips on them to eat and drink from....why throw something out because of a little chip?


I came home never putting importance on a kitchen remodel with all the bells and whistles of "granite" countertops, or a "Wolfe" professional range or "Sub Zero" fridge because of this experience, in fact, I've kind of rebelled against it. Good food doesn't require a large or expensive kitchen. (Another habit I adopted from that trip was to hang dry much of my laundry, even to this day, and that was over 10 years ago!)

I would love to rid myself of everything and anything that doesn't hold a place near and dear to my heart, or that doesn't make me happy at just the sight of it's beauty....whatever that is. Easier said than done huh? In this culture, in these times, "more is more". Personally I grew up with the fear of "not enough" and it can creep in and affect my actions in many ways.

Owning too much out of fear of not having enough. Not enough "stuff" includes food!

This past week I ws lucky enough to recieve a few gifts from friends. Little gifts I couldn't have appreciated more if they were nuggets of pure gold! A beautiful bracelet I admired on the wrist of my new Swedish friend Stina. So generous of her to present me with it at the end of RKC Level 2, knowing how much I liked it, I was truly touched. (Stina attended RKC Level 1, and then returned less than a week later to complete and pass RKC Level 2! Serious Stud-ette!) A bottle of Hungarian roasted pumkin seed oil from "the hostess with the mostest" Judit, that I used it in a salad I made with some homegrown golden baby tomatoes given to me by one of my star students, Maribel....I love homegrown veggies!

Thank you for all of my golden gifts, much appreciated by a yet another golden lesson of "more is NOT more". What are some of your favorite little gifts of gold?

(PS Wayne found out he was sick and bought a brand new Lincoln for his wife so she would have a new, safe and reliable car to drive when he was gone.....she ended up being diagnosed with cancer and died before he did....he followed her less than 2 months afterwards....)