Memories are made of this

I saw a status update on Instagram today which really resonated with how I’ve been feeling, for some time now. Someone was announcing their attempt to get rid of a few things in order to make room/time for some of their more loved and important things. I’ve been feeling this a lot lately. I am blessed to have an abundance of clothes, shoes, bags, ornaments, cosmetics and all the other trappings of being a young working woman in a consumer driven modern society.

Even 1940s ladies loved their lipstick

In addition to this, I have travelled, I have seen shows and been to restaurants, but these are the areas of my life that I don’t feel I have done enough in. The memory making, if you will. I know, in comparison to many, I have already lived 1000 lives, but I have also concentrated too much time and resource on accumulation of material possessions and not enough on seeing and doing.  

Remember that time we went to see Billy Ocean in Harrogate?

I have to be honest, I’m never going to not consume. To do that would not be true to who I am, and that in itself would be a bad thing, afterall, a life lived without being true to yourself is not a life lived enjoyably, but I have too started trying to get rid of the odd thing. Every now and again, something will pop up on eBay that I’m selling, or a charity bag will leave my house filled with things I no longer need or use. I still find it difficult though, I am still on the brink of buying another dress that I don’t need about 90% of the time. It’s been made worse recently as I will be starting a new job very soon, and keep flirting with the idea of some new work clothes. Ironically, that is the point when I would most definitely not need any more work clothes, afterall, my soon to be colleagues will never have seen any of my workwear staples before, and I would hope they will be more interested in my skills as a project manager than my sartorial choices.

Even last night, I found myself pondering the idea of spending some monies I had made on ebay on a new work dress, it was in the sale and therefore an absolute bargain. I slept on the idea, and woke this morning to buy tickets to go and see Bellowhead next spring instead. A wise choice, since long after the dress finds itself languishing in the back of an already overcrowded wardrobe, God willing I will still have the happy memory of that time I went to see Bellowhead.

Making memories in Geneva last summer

It’s not going to be easy retraining myself away from impromptu purchases, but with a little bit of thought and consideration of what I really want, I think I will get there in the end.