The Season Of Giving
“Trying to be happy by accumulating possessions is like trying to satisfy hunger by taping sandwiches all over your body” Here’s a shocker for you. Myself and Spring at Pebbleshoo don’t give each other stuff for Christmas. We don’t give each other stuff on our birthdays or on our wedding anniversary either. This isn’t to say we don’t give to each other. We give a lot, and not just on specific arbitrary days of the year. We try to give in as many different ways as possible. When we need stuff, we get it. So if I’m driven to experience Skiing, I buy Skis… etc. But I guess what’s different is that we don’t necessarily attribute value to products. We attribute value to the memories of experiences that taught us or made us feel something. Products only become valuable to me when they have enabled me to experience something of worth. My favorite bright orange Arc’teryx Jacket is not valuable because of the price tag attached to it, but because it kept me dry when I was crouched on an exposed ledge in the mountains and because of many other similar memories. All of us have items that are more valuable to us because of our history with them. Nearing the top of the couloir Our favorite products act as catalysts for experiences. Experience has value. Life, life has value. I think somewhere along the path to becoming a Consumerist Society some of us have lost this understanding. As I watch the Malls near us becoming chock full with people shuffling around buying oodles upon oodles of stuff I have to ask “Why?” This season we want to encourage you, our reader, to try something different. To try giving differently. We want you to try giving memories before stuff, and if you are giving stuff, to give stuff with stories. So how can you do this? Memories Before Stuff: When you are thinking about a person you love and what you can give them. Giving them something memorable should be key. So, for example, if a loved one rock climbs, the easy option might be to buy a bunch of climbing equipment for them. But what if you’ve heard them talk before about how they’ve always wanted to Kayak rapids but they never got the chance. How much more memorable would be giving that person Kayaking lessons? The gift of knowledge doesn’t just last a season or two, it last a lifetime. Some other ideas: Show them one of your favorite viewpoints, a favorite hike, a book that changed your life, made you smile… etc Stuff With Stories: The...
