Stuff

May 2, 2018

“The stuff is just stuff.” Linda was going through the budget, putting money in the pockets of the little budget book we’ve had since we were first married nearly 48 years ago. The pockets are dog-eared and ragged, but they still hold the bills in place till they’re needed. 

God has been good to us; there’s not much we lack, and what we do lack, we don’t need. I was mounting a new tire to the rim of my motorcycle this afternoon, and need a valve stem puller to finish the job. Tomorrow I’ll pick one up. But the fact is, I have a motorcycle. I don’t need it, but I have it, and enjoy it. Before I left for Cuba, I put in an order for a 9mm carbine at a local sport shop. It had arrived while I was gone, and I picked it up when I got back. I don’t need that either, but it is one more way to spend time with my son Matt, who loves to shoot. The deck chairs we bought last year aren’t exactly a necessity, but Linda and I sure do enjoy sitting together with a cup of coffee as the sun warms our faces in the morning. Then there’s my tractor...that I do need! There’s a lot of work that wouldn’t get done around here if we didn’t have it.

All the stuff is nice to have, but none of it makes me or anyone else happy. Too many times, I’ve bought something I had been drooling over and “just had to have,” only to have it lose its punch a week later. The things I treasure have their value in how they connect me to the people I treasure. And this, from an introvert! 

Linda’s budgetary magic is behind the stuff. Without that ragged budget book, we wouldn’t have any of it. But if all the stuff were taken away and I was left with only the people, I would still be a rich man. And a very thankful one.