As we prepare for the upcoming Annual Tribute Dinner on Thursday, October 13, Client Advocate Brandon Bower, shares his personal experiences on Regina’s Life Lesson #42: Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.

“You’ve heard the story about the couple who retired and lived the remainder of their lives collecting stuff. . . whether it was glassware, seashells or Christmas decorations. ‘It’s the American Dream!’ they say, today people spend millions of dollars on stuff.

Several things have happened recently that has convinced me about our stuff. Please don’t get me wrong, we’re not hoarders, but we have stuff. It feels that all of our time and attention goes to keeping our stuff clean, orderly and repaired. The things that really matter get put aside so we can take care of our stuff, it’s not right.

Just a few months ago, a wealthy acquaintance passed away and left nothing but old, tattered stuff. It was a sad ending to his life, but how much more could he have done in life? Just after that happened, I helped some family friends move and they had 28 plus years of stuff. It was obvious that they loved their stuff, and it was also obvious that their stuff had taken over their lives. Their precious stuff was collecting dust and mold in storage, yet they couldn’t part with it.

Let’s fight against the urge to gather stuff. . . get rid of it! If you don’t use it, pass it on or sell it and put that money to good use. Don’t spend your life chasing stuff because in the end, that is all you will leave behind.” ~Brandon Bower, Client Advocate