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Can You Ever Have Too Much?


My son and I had a discussion this morning. He said he was disappointed in himself for always wanting more toys when he already had too much. I explained to him that wanting more is natural. Some adults want more money, even if they’ll never be able to use up what they have in their lifetime. He then asked if that is why people have so many clothes even when they can’t wear them all sometimes.

It was an interesting discussion as I told him that people generally want more of some things to feel safe and secure. I explained that some persons who grew up not having enough clothes sometimes end up buying more than they’ll ever wear. There are those who have nice homes but still want bigger ones even though what they have is enough for their needs.

I actually stopped to seriously take stock of my own life and see if I had enough of anything. While I couldn’t put my finger on anything I had enough of at this point in life, I will always be evaluating. For example do I really need more than five pairs of shoes or more than one dozen pairs of jeans? 

The honest answer is, I don’t know. I want to fit in and feel a sense of accomplishment and like so many others, the more we have the better we seem to feel. For so many of us, it is easy to fall into the habit of defining the quality of our lives by how many material things we possess. 

Interestingly my young man said he plans to give away some more of his toys. He said, Mom I really have more than enough toys and I should give away some to children who don’t have any.” 

As they say a child shall lead them – and this is often so true when I’m talking with Jalen. He makes me see things in many different ways.  So, do you have too much of anything?
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Comments

Unknown said…
I have a whole section of tea. I've told myself I'm not buying anymore until I've cleaned out most of this.

Children do have a way of voicing something we need to hear.
10:21 AM
Lisa said…
I liked this post a lot. It's timely for me. Lately, I'm wanting to reduce my possessions quite a bit. I won't part with my CD's, but I do have too many clothes and books. I also have too much memory clutter. It's time to let some of it go, so that new things can come in. I'm not talking about new material possessions, but new friends, new opportunities, new creative ideas, and of course, clear thoughts. Many times, I've noticed some people with too much clutter or belongings have too much physical weight or stress. It all affects us, I think.
10:47 AM
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