I saw a violinist on television who has just bought a Stradivarius, once owned by Napoleon, for $3.5 million. I tried to imagine what that would be like taking care of it, traveling with it, etc. When asked about that, she talked about the pleasure of the instrument far outweighing any concern.
For some reason, my mind was drifting today and... well, let me start over... My mind was drifting today, and for some reason, I thought of an old boss who owned some sort of rare Mercedes. I don't know enough to say the model, but it was the one with gull-wing doors. It was his pride and joy and he kept it under wraps, in his garage, and only drove it (really) during the month of May (not too hot, not too cold).
I happened to be at his house one May and he showed me the car and asked me if I wanted to take it out for a spin. My answer was no. I said to him that the fact that he trusted me to drive this car meant more to me than taking it for a drive. I would not have enjoyed myself thinking some cinder could fly up and accidentally make a ding in it while under my control. Or worse.
So I was thinking "... and now he's dead" and wondered about the car. Probably sold somewhere at auction, and I thought he should have driven it more while he was alive. It's the ultimate "can't take it with you" -- not even a rare Mercedes with gull-wing doors.
As we get older, I think we get better at not "saving" stuff -- the good soap, the good blouse, the good wine, whatever. I can't say I have anything in my life on par with this violin or the car, but if I did, I hope I would use it.
As a sidenote, I always cringe while watching Antiques Roadshow
when the person has some rare historical artifact and they chirp, "Well, it is going right back in the box in the closet" and I think what a shame that is -- I want them to donate whatever it is, or loan whatever it is to a museum so other people can appreciate it.
1 comment:
This post struck a chord :) SO true! Living life is, or should be, all about enjoying what we have around us and not boxing it up in a closet or otherwise...
I think that part of this kind of saving/storing perspective has come about because we are a culture which has so much. Once I began a personal simplifying within my life, having less but having what I love now daily encourages me to put these things to use. It's liberating in a way and feels like "authentic living" if that makes sense.
One of the saddest things I ever ran across was going over to a new friend's house where no one was "allowed' into the front parlor since it served as a museum-like showpiece the parents utilized very rarely with adult get togethers and for Christmas Day. It was a dim, plastic-covered and silent room...creepy actually.
Enjoyed this post and such good food-for-thought as to how we are living out our lives with the possessions we have around us- thx!
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