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Of Baubles and Books


         What is a life made of? Look around your house. What of all your possessions do you take with you to a place that's less than half the size of where you're established and every inch of space you get is being given up by someone who is established in it and when it always seems that what is vital to one is excess junk to the other? How do you decide which of the many pieces of your life, which of the many baubles you've enjoyed must be left behind? How do you take the things your life will need when you don't know what direction your life is going to take?

        Granted, I am not moving into some third world country with no stores. I could go with the clothes on my back and buy things that I need, but that takes money. It takes money that has already been spent here and money is one of the unknown variables in this equation. It is one of the things that makes this faithwalk a faithwalk. This brings me back to my question. The things that are obvious are mostly things have to do with simply living. That's not the same thing as living simply.  Simply living focuses on the physical. Both living simply and building a life requires soul: body, mind, emotions, will, and spirit and their relationship with others.  Those things that make life more than simply living are the baubles from which I have to choose wisely and well. Of course, there is one collection of baubles that has caused particular concern, at least if my dream is any indication.

                        About a month ago I had a dream in which I met some friends at a conference. They took home with them.  In the course of the conversation, I realized they had decided I would stay with them. I protested that I had to go back to the hotel because I had to pay my bill and collect my books and things. When they dismissed this idea I said, "But they're my books." The parallel is obvious and the fact that my mind was already working on it a month ago gives an indication of how difficult this is for me. I should explain that my Bible is on my laptop. I have an e-reader that contains my dictionary and I will have access to a library and the Internet. It's not the books themselves, but everything they represent, including security and life. They are extensions of my mind and I must decide which few will not be amputated.

             I know the decisions will be made and I will survive even if I go otherwise bookless into the "wilderness." I've reached the point where I'm not sure the answers will be that important. The questions; however, are important. The process is vital. I suspect that the benefits will be substantial, even if I can't imagine what they could be right now.

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