Is our ‘stuff’ what makes us happy?

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Waylon Jennings song, Luckenbach Texas, it is a song about getting back to the basics of love and life after discovering that being ‘successful’ is more stressful than living a simple life.

For some reason, I woke up with that song in my head,  even though I haven’t heard it in years, but the idea is actually something I have really been thinking about a lot lately. We are getting ready to move into a smaller apartment, which means downsizing, aka getting rid of stuff. I have been lamenting over the fact that I am leaving a beautiful kitchen for something that just is not what I am use to. It is small, and has an electric smooth top range that looks something like this:

This stove is the catalyst to me pondering the meaning of success and what truly makes a person happy. Is it stuff? Is it people? Is it achievements? Is it money? Continue reading →