The Joy of Having Things

I was lucky enough as a kid that we had a roof over our heads and we were fed. I did, however, know enough to know that we weren’t privileged and that we couldn’t afford certain things. I knew this enough because I grew up in a mostly middle class neighborhood where I didn’t quite connect with many of my classmates.

It’s the small things like being able to take swim lessons, or being able to join a local sports team or something. My parents were busy working and couldn’t give me and my brother that opportunity.

This is not a post to lament my childhood, however. It’s to celebrate that while I didn’t have many things as a kid, I’ve felt incredibly rich in my past few years in college. I’ve traveled so much, met so many different people and learned a ton of new things.

There is a simple joy in being able to have things - experiences, knowledge and simple possessions. I’ve told others before - I love being a leader and taking the initiative because it affords me a lot of the ‘riches’ that I did not have before. Heck, I’ve gotten the opportunity to travel more during college that I ever did before college. And I won’t deny that it’s great to be able to make some purchases for my club without a heavy cloud of guilt floating over my head.

I wonder how I would have turned out without my childhood experience. I’m not saying I think I would have turned out useless and spoiled; I just can’t quite connect with the experience in my life right now and I’m not sure how much my path through college would have been different.

For now, I’ll continue with the joy of having things in my life.