5-7: What do you value in your life? Yes, security, happiness, and health. Yes, there are beloved objects you’d miss if you had to leave them behind. Friends and family, of course. But there are also many things in our lives that have no literal value whatsoever except what we ascribe to them. Yesterday I found a good-sized box of stamps that my mother had begun collecting when she was a young girl in the 1930s; later on, in the 1960s, my brother took over the collection. Stamps are simply little bits of paper that are totally worthless unless one knows something interesting or important about them. It’s odd to think of that. Crystals, plants, and books all have values that we humans put to them. Of course, we can’t put a monetary value on a sparkle in a stream or a double rainbow or the flight of a bird, but we could rate it just as highly as something we keep in a box.
What do you value? Create an environment around yourself that reflects what you treasure. Perhaps it’s a beloved armchair or a treasured photograph. Or the serenity of a quiet and empty space. Or you relish those rare, tasty spices in your kitchen. Go through a shelf or a room as though you’re sorting through a beloved stamp collection. Sift out what’s important and why. Make your own appraisals for everything that surrounds you. Everything you own either weighs you down with clutter or lifts you up through the cherished memories, dreams, and stories that live in your heart.