My ten year old daughter has a hard time sleeping at night. Like me, her head spins with a mixture of outstanding tasks to be completed, general life issues or past regrets. Let’s just say that being alone with our thoughts is a dangerous cocktail better left unserved; however, there’s no escaping it at night.
A nightly battle of our minds versus potential insomnia ensues.
To calm her down, she almost always needs an extra hug or two from me. My wife has been asleep for the better part of an hour at this point but we’re still wide awake so it works out nicely. My daughter gets the hug she needs, I get to feel her warmth and love one last time before I fall asleep and my wife (hopefully) continues to count sheep beside me.
At no point during this ritual do I think that I’m missing anything in my life. No amount of money offered to me can replace the feeling I have at that moment. The hug is everything. It’s a priceless piece of my life, and hers, and it’s one that I cherish.
Our lives are full of these little moments and yet, we’re constantly striving to replace them with something more grand. Going to the beach on vacation is a great example. A beautiful hotel, oceanside room or expensive food is no match for the beach itself. The beauty of the ocean towers over anything else you may experience during your stay.
The beach and ocean waves are the main attraction, everything else is just filler.
My grandmothers idea of homemade cookies was removing the dough from the pre-packaged tube and portioning them onto a tray to bake. Although they weren’t technically made by her, I can’t help but smile when I see the ready made cookies at the grocery store.. The cookies themselves were delicious of course (everybody loves a chocolate chip cookie) but the fact that she thought of making them for us is what really counts.
Food connects us to our past in ways other things never will. The taste of my Mom’s spaghetti sauce, pecan pie and coleslaw will always be better than anything I could buy at a store or enjoy at a high end restaurant. There’s an emotional tie to certain foods that can never be replicated or purchased with any amount of money. The equivalent of twenty dollars worth of ingredients may be worth more than a three hundred dollar dinner due to the memories, joy and contentment that’s unlocked with every bite.
Life isn’t about how much wealth we’ve accrued over time or whether or not we can drive down the road in a Rolls Royce. Sure, having all of the finer things would be great; however, it’s equally great to be reminded of the little things that provide joy and happiness.
Someone confined to a wheelchair or a hospital bed may long for the day when they can walk on the beach. A person heavily in debt would find peace and solace in the ability to buy gas for their car without the fear of that same car being repossessed. What seems like an unattainable dream to one person is a normal everyday life for someone else.
We’re human, which means we take things for granted, especially the little things.
Someday soon, the bedtime hugs will end, which is exactly why they’re worth more than anything money could ever buy.
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