More

"There must be more to life." This is a phrase I've heard uttered in dozens of different ways. Some say it with hope, some with sorrow, some say it with the certainty of faith,  and some with the uncertainty of doubt.

But I wonder what it is that people mean when they say "more".  Do they mean more stuff?  More gadgets and gizmos?  More rooms on a house?  More designer clothes and handbags?   Or are they looking for more meaning? More connections?  More emotions?   

Yeah, i know-that's kind of a no-brainer.  "More" to the majority of people in my circle of acquaintances means something hidden amongst the latter.  More means building more memories with their children.  More means doing something that makes a difference.   But I see these same people burying themselves in an avalanche of the trivial "mores".  They spend so much time chasing the material mores and lose precious time in which they could find the real meaning for which they are searching.  In 20 years, will your children remember the $200 headphones they got for Christmas and broke within a year, or will they remember the "carpet picnics" that end in a massive,  "no holds barred" tickle fight?  Will they remember that mom had a fresh manicure every week, or will they remember the gentle touch of an un-manicured hand that soothed away the nightmares, checked for fevers, and smoothed back sweaty hair?   Will they remember the sound of designer heels clicking down the hallway as mom rushes off to earn "more" so she can buy "more", or will they remember the sound of slippers scuffing across the kitchen floor as mom dances around the kitchen, joyfully making yet another family breakfast?  Will they remember the $3000, (that with interest, will turn into $4000) spent on a high stress, jam-packed vacation or will they remember the camping trips and cuddling around a campfire telling ghost stories.  Will they remember the $100 Halloween costumes they wore for 2 hours,  or will they remember the Halloween costume that mom helped them make, and the laughter during that time?  

One lament that I have often heard at funerals is "I wish I had spent more time with him/her."  People seldom, if ever, say "I wish I had spent more money on him/her."  So why do we waste tremendous amounts of our most precious commodity (time) on the things that don't matter (stuff)?  The most valuable thing we will leave behind when we die are the memories we have made with those we love. Not the stuff.  So get off the hamster wheel that is "material success" and wander instead down the shaded forest trail of "emotional success". You never know what you might find around the next bend in the path ;)