Wellness NOT Stuff (Friday Fictioneers)

Posted on by Prior...

Hello Readers.

It is time for a Friday Fictioneers post.

This week Rochelle has selected an image from J Hardy Carroll. The picture first reminded me of misc. hand-carved items family members used to have: kitchen trivets, five-hook shelves, etc.  Then, the vertical blinds stood out. They might be good quality, but they reminded me of the cheap, plastic vertical blinds you find in low-end apartments. My story unfolded from there.

The photo: 

The Fiction:

Genre: realistic fiction

word count: 100 

Title: Wellness NOT Stuff 

–Is it better to never taste luxury rather than have had it and lost it?

Losing prestige, power, possessions – having the rug pulled out – to catch your balance and then anchor with what “really” matters. To lose material items, wane in popularity –   s i g h.   Are these cyclic states to be held with a loose hand because  health and mental wellness are King?

Standing tall, I adjusted the cheap blinds in my inexpensive, single-story condo; smiled to see the heirloom hand-carved miniature clock-building, which added beauty to the room.

Reminded me to enjoy beautiful things, but to hold possessions loosely.

_

And note from J.H.C about the photo: This photo was taken at the Bily Clock Museum in Spillville, Iowa. The museum building was the residence of Antonín Dvořák during the summer of 1893 where he composed his String Quartet in F (also known as the “American Quartet”) and his String Quintet in E-Flat.

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72 thoughts on “Wellness NOT Stuff (Friday Fictioneers)”

  3. Dear Yvette,

    Evocative storytelling. As I sit here in the Midwest where the sun is shining my brother and his wife have evacuated their home in North Carolina, not knowing what they will come back to. He more or less said something similar to your last line this morning. Well done.

    Shalom,

    Rochelle

    Liked by 6 people

    2. well your brother has a wise outlook and I wish them all the best – and as of right now – looks like they will take the brunt of this hurricane. ugh

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  10. Nice transition from a philosophical debate question to a practical application of the theory.

    The compromise: to live within her means, and yet keep something of what she loved and valued in her former life.

    Many people went through this in the Recession and after storms like Florence seems likely to be. She sounds very strong and resolute, and I suspect she wont be down for long.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Hi – I loved your comment but was actually thinking this was a “he” – ha
      and you are right – a lot of folks went through this right after 2008 – and then with the storms you mentioned – and I hope people in NC are okay right now

      Liked by 1 person

    1. thanks S, and I have followed your blog for years now and I think you practice what you preach here. Like how you value that really old knife you inherited – and how the reno job had you waiting –

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Ha………fancy your remembering Auntie Doris’s knife. It’s travelled with us from England to South Africa and us now residing in my kitchen drawer in Florida. It’s not the most beautiful knife in my kitchen, but it is the most treasured and often gets used. 😃 xx

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        1. funny the things we remember with our blog friends – and I do think of your knife sometimes when I use this old one we have – maybe sometime I will share a photo of ours…

          Liked by 1 person

    1. thanks for the genuine comment – my heart went out to you when I read it and maybe it will encourage someone else – to see how you are making it – and sending good thoughts your way, sir

      Liked by 1 person

    1. that is interesting comment, draliman and some folks would agree with that whole-heartedly….

      and I just learned of a country artist Alan Jackson – (not a big fan of country – but Jackson sings some nice songs and this song “The Older I get” had these words:

      “The older I get
      The more I think
      You only get a minute, better live while you’re in it
      ‘Cause it’s gone in a blink
      And the older I get
      The truer it is
      It’s the people you love, not the money and stuff
      That makes you rich”

      Liked by 3 people

    1. ahhhh – I like that idea of a “loan”
      and we try to keep things with an open fist (as opposed to a tight, clenched hand that grips and squeezes) – just so things don’t own us

      Liked by 1 person

    1. yes – more to the story for him, but maybe it is not needed as for many people stuff comes and goes (cyclic) thanks for reading

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  28. I read Sidney Poitier’s book “The Measure of a Man” and he said one could not go back…he would visit his family in the Bahamas but would stay in a hotel. He was now used to luxury and did not want to return to that life, even momentarily. I think there is something to what he says. And then I think, we have become so much about “stuff” that we have forgotten what is most important. I think, for him, it meant that once you’ve attained a certain level, going back would be like a sort of failure. All about perspective…

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  29. A thought provoking story full of wisdom and acceptance. Adapting to change and making the best of it–that’swhat survivors do.

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  31. Like Rochelle, yet on the other side of the world, nature (Typhoon Mangkhut) reminds us what is truly important and it’s not our stuff. Nice comparison between enjoying beauty and possessions. Well written story! 🙂

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