The Best Things...

"No man is born rich. Every man when he first sees light, is commanded to be content with milk and rags. Such is our beginning, and yet kingdoms are all too small for us!"

~ Letters from a Stoic (letter 20) by Senaca 4 B.C. - A.D. 65

Isn't is funny how this ancient tidbit of philosophy resonates into the modern day. It seems we spend much of our lives in pursuit of outward things we feel will satisfy our longings.

Just yesterday, in my yard shed, I climbed over a huge pile of accumulated stuff I didn't need, in an extended search for the one useful thing I did need, just to complete a simple task.

All those stored things represented a considerable expenditure of time and treasure in their procurement and maintenance. I found myself wondering, was it worth the exchange? (Scroll down)

The older I get, the more I realize, the fewer things I really need. I believe "Less is more," just like we were taught in my college design classes back in the day. But some days I lack the discipline to back it up. And while I seem to be on a roll with adages, here is one more - the best things in life are free. But we likely won't find them in a dusty old box stashed away in some corner. More likely, we will find them where they have always been. And closer than we thought.

Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor dust dost corrupt.

~Matthew 6:20