Express gratitude.

Have you ever witnessed a parent drop their child off at school, soccer practice, a piano lesson, etc. and their last statement is them saying, "Have fun--I love you."? I hope so!  What I find more interesting is that many of the kids don't respond in-kind.

I know for years my mother would always end phone calls that way and it wasn't until I was 25 that I regularly responded with "Love you too!"  Saying those words felt awkward--Of course I love my mom. I always have!  I'm not sure why I ever struggled to communicate such a simple sentence.

My best guess is that I lacked the maturity to realize how fortunate I have always been.  I dunno. Whatever the case, I don't make that mistake any more.  Now, I make a conscious effort to let those I care about in my life know exactly how much I appreciate them.  There is no reason for me not to.

When you step back from the speed of life you might notice that we concern ourselves with so many things that just don't matter or shouldn't matter.  I take pride in living a pseudo-simple life but even I can identify copious amounts of 'filler' in my day-to-day affairs. Fortunately, this 'filler' does not consume me.

In previous blog posts I've discussed the benefits of having less 'stuff'. Less stuff means less life-clutter. Living this way provides us with the opportunity to see what matters most and to spend time doing those things. But, stuff isn't just material. Stuff doesn't have to be tangible.  Stuff can be ideas, worries and frustrations that might swirl around in your head and unnecessarily distract you from what truly matters. We need to avoid these things as they lead us on a path of self-destruction.

I love my parents. I love my sister--and her dog. I love my grandparents. There are a few other things in my life that matter immensely. These are my priorities. This is why I try to live a life of quality and simplicity. It's the type of life that allows me to have clearly defined priorities.  It's the type of life that allows me to ignore distractions, useless stuff and negative people. It's the type of life that allows me to clearly see what matters most. And, it's the type of life that allows me to freely express gratitude.

So, Mom: "I love you."

Let's be perfectly clear about that!