The Gift of Days

We work most of our lives accumulating material possessions i.e.: personal belongings (how much stuff do we really need to live comfortably?)

For instance: Cars: (Do we really need a car upgrade or can we live with a safe, functional car? Some of us have 2 or 3 cars or the newest model).

A home: Most people in the world have very little personal space and live in 20 sq. ft. coffin homes in big cities like Hong Kong, Mexico, Mumbai as examples)

In North America, however, we live in standard dwellings ranging in sizes of 500-1200 sq. ft. or more, depending on what we can afford to borrow. We then stuff these homes with comfort stuff… stuff… and more stuff, until the closets are full to overflowing.

We talk ourselves into self-rewarding because we work all week. We then buy… buy… buy…on weekends.

We are servants to debt. We spend most of our lives paying down debts hoping to eliminate it so we can borrow some more and get the bigger house, the bigger car, or better stuff because we deserve it.

God actually gave us this amazing "gift of days" allowing us to wake up 23,725 times, from the day we are born until we reach the age of retirement and beyond. This is like we have a "re-start button". We rarely use it, but it is there every morning when we wake.

We have the power to make choices using our time for however we see fit each morning. Most of us make consumerism choices, not experience choices.

"How are you?” I am always asked.

I say: "I'm having a GREAT day” Because I was gifted today, another day to wake up and choose to live experiences, not consumerism.

If we are all well and live healthy until we are 80 years old, God's gift is an additional 5,475 days after the age of 65. Do we have the energy after 23,725 possibly wasted "gift of days" to create meaningful memories? You probably only used up 1,000-day gifts as meaningful during those first 65 years. That still leaves 22,725 “gift of days” you chose not to create meaningful memories but to be a servant to your stuff. Oh, to be fair, you probably used 2-3 hours out of that 24-hour “gift day” to be around your kids and family or friends. Kudos on that. Let's see, that's ummmmmm.... 13% of your servant day.

What about the weekends you say? Those days are also part of the dedicated servant days because probably you are out the door to go buy more stuff.

Most of us have less energy after the age of 65 to live life to the fullest. Debt weighs us down throwing a shroud over our head of obligations throughout our productive years.

Do you ever listen to the quarterly updates on the news of how much Royal Bank of Canada takes in net? BILLIONS. That is just one bank. The other banks are similar. On the backs of us, we, the people, who work 40 plus hours a week and longer, and live beyond our means contributing to their billions of dollars.

We can never buy anything that we can keep and take with us beyond the grave. We can make life experiences which for some reason we don't have to buy and possibly take with us beyond the grave.

“WHAT.” you say? “All that stuff is mine! I paid for it!”

YES, you did. NO, you actually don't own it. You actually only paid for the exclusive right to use what you bought until it’s no longer of use or you die.

You can't take your toys to the grave and beyond. You can't do that.

Slaves to the grave. That's what most of us are.

Think about this: What if you did away with the debt? What if you simplified your belongings and became more of a minimalist?

What if you built experiences, not debt?

What if, after you shed the debt, shed the anvil around your neck of obligatory commitments, what if you made less money, worked fewer hours, and had more time for living?

We have to change our consumer attitudes and make them into life experiences. Memories that mean something. Like making a difference in someone’s life, by donating your time. Like travelling to new lands. We wake up and do 9 to 5.

Servants most of us are. We work for each weekend to arrive until we are sick, or lucky enough to retire. I'm guilty.

I remember my dad telling me 40 years ago that I had to build 63 cement steps up a steep hill to a parking lot. One a day throughout the summer. I looked at those steps recently that were now all moldy and sunken back into the earth hardly noticeable anymore.

Everything material that has been consumed or owned throughout our lifetime will go back into earth eventually like those cement steps.

We spend our best years accumulating, surrounding ourselves with stuff so we can feel successful and convenient. We like to display to the world that we are well off. A falsehood to be sure if you are a servant to debt. Debt equals time away from living.

Why do we teach our kids consumerism? Why not teach them about the “gift of days.”