12. Collect Experiences, Not Things

This a hard one for me to write as I am an avid collector of both, things and experiences. And also Felicity wrote - quite frankly the perfect piece on the subject

Of course if the house burnt down the only thing I would want is our health and safety.

Like Felicity the older I get the less inclined to shopping and things I become (except for my fabric stash - she with the largest when she dies wins you know).

We five live in a three bedroom cottage the kids shock horror all share as one of the rooms is a study work room and quite frankly not ready to give it up for a place some one sleeps in - so I have become rather ruthless at throwing stuff out.  I could be a  hoarder so any school fete I donate to the trash and treasure store and as much as possible. Almost to the point where my partner has to hold me back.

MY travels and life abroad has afforded me the opportunity to have beautiful things and often my experiences are part of those things.

But I find I am also trashing some of those unfortunate experiences in life and realise my memory is increasing selective about what experiences it chooses to remember.

I digress - So I am careful not to completely throw  every thing out as there a memories and experiences attached with them- Like my Pallet of plates the Pallet I found outside our apartment in Leiden - Graham had to ask our neighbour to help carry it as it was frozen solid. They bonded over my lunacy and became very dear  friends as a result.  I sanded and varnished the said  Pallet and now it holds a collection of plates from our travels in Europe.I even dragged it back with me from The Netherlands cause of the memories it holds.

However like Felicity I am trying to gift experiences rather then things - hard to do with our imminent return for Christmas to  Europe - so the compromise I am making things of use - Pot holders. Lets hope they experience making some good food with them and not adding to their collections of junk ............

above is my beloved pallet