Cherishing the Essentials
The things that matter are things we should hold onto long after their coolness factor has worn off.
Due to the chaos that is my morning ritual, I left the house today without my watch and wedding ring.
It’s funny the way we become accustomed to things.
I keep looking at my wrist for the time. I keep glancing down to make sure the rest of me isn’t as naked as my left hand. I keep checking wedding photos on Facebook to assure myself it wasn’t simply a wonderful dream — that I really am married.
Despite spending an overwhelming majority of my life sans rings and watches, I haven’t felt like myself today without them.
How can items that once felt so foreign suddenly feel so essential?
Remember how crazy email sounded when someone first tried to explain it to you? Now it’s indispensable.
Remember how silly smartphones seemed when they came out? Now you own one, and there’s a 50% chance you’re reading these words with it.
Remember when Facebook and Twitter hit the scene, and you dismissed them as fads before yelling at those teenagers to get off your lawn? Now you’re liking and tweeting things left and right.
Of course, as easily as we become accustomed to things, we just as easily become jaded with them.
Email is no a longer magical means of communication, but a never-ending to-do list. Once pampered, smartphones are now accidentally dropped in lakes, swimming pools, and toilets. Though still popular, Facebook and Twitter lost their coolness factor the day your mom joined them.
Watches get scratched.
Wedding rings get lost.
Everything seems to lose its shine eventually.
“No more,” I say.
The things that matter, the things that really matter, are things we should embrace long after their coolness factor has worn off. Long after they’ve lost their magical aura. Long after they’ve lost their shine.
Cherish those devoted readers who comment on every post you write — don’t take them for granted. Cherish those email subscribers who knew you before it was hip to know you — they’re the ones who will stick with you through difficult times. Cherish the blogging mentors and peers who have helped you along the way — repay them once you’ve hit the big time.
Cherish your family. Cherish your friends.
And, whatever you do, don’t forget your watch and wedding ring tomorrow.
This article originally appeared on beabetterblogger.com. For more inspiration and blogging tips, join my free mailing list.
Kevin J. Duncan runs Be A Better Blogger, where he delivers bite-sized musings to inspire, entertain, and educate bloggers every weekday. Get inspired each morning by joining his free mailing list.
