Our world is filled with excess.  I have travelled extensively and I see it a lot in many places.  The place I see it the most is here in Orange County.  Everyone always wants the best and the most recent.  Because of this, we create a lot of waste.  It makes me sad that some people measure their happiness by what they have.  I know that I am very lucky…I have a lovely home, I am able to remodel, I can travel, I have my dream car, I can get everything I need when I need it, etc…but at no point have I ever measured my success or worth by the things I have.  I have worked hard to earn the money to be able to have all the stuff that I do have.  But if there was a fire, the only thing I would truly care about are my travel mementos and photographs that cannot be replaced.  I know somebody who would rather spend $1000 on a purse, but I would rather spend that $1000 to travel and gain life experience.  My worth is based on what type of person I am and by the good people I surround myself with.

This image also made me think of Salva from A Long Walk to Water.  He described the toys that he would make with his brothers.  They would create cows out of materials found in nature and then would play with those.  They don’t have a store to go to and be able to buy things.  It is the simple things in life!