Memories More Than Things

I've always been a believer in the idea that giving memories is more important than giving things. With people though, we like the things, the tangible. On birthdays and holidays, we like the act of unwrapping something. Objects - the more the merrier, especially when we are young. How many broken McDonalds' toys does every parent have sitting around their house because their child HAD to have it? Truth is, adults are rarely better, we want, want, want what we see in ads and windows. Things just are fun and somehow our lives would be better if we had more things.

It was when I was a late teen, and my best friend Art and I decided to take long road trips for our winter breaks, that I truly realized that it's the memories, not the things that last and make our lives better. For four weeks one year, and five weeks the next, we traveled nearly every continental state and experienced beauty, crime, horseback riding, late nights, city life, rural landscapes, perfect sunsets, trolley rides, long walks, running out of gas, getting lost (before gps), strange people, all kinds of humor, visiting relatives, making new friends, getting sunburnt, freezing noses, crossing the Canadian border, hopping over to Mexico, sailing, camping, sleeping in the car, sleeping in nice hotels, sleeping in roach motels, and filling pages of diaries and photo books of interesting people, places and things. I do not remember most of the things I was given over my lifetime, but I certainly remember almost every aspect of those two trips and other memory makers I've done over my life.

For the last week, T.S.'s little sister has been visiting us and we've done all sorts of things. She lives in a very urban environment and before she went back home today, I wanted to give her a memory of an experience she never can have where she currently lives. She has talked about wanting to do it before, but usually expense is a large factor. However, I woke up this morning and something told me to just look it up for this area. Being in a more rural area, I guess I shouldn't be all that surprised, but it was very affordable to give her the experience. We surprised her this morning with the opportunity to go horseback riding. She's nine years old and old enough to remember the first time she went, and she will always remember that she went with T.S. and how old she was, etc. We gave her a memory!

Over the last week, she received some rollerblades and a bike as well (thank you Craig's list) and she loves them both and used them a lot. However, something tells me that when she is older, it's not the things she received this trip that she will remember, it is the experiences. I'm so happy I was able to provide her with a life experience today!