What if we scatter?
Possessions. Awards. Photographs. Experiences. Stories. Books. Money…….
We gather them. Hoard them even.
“These are what define me,” I might say.
“Without them there can be no ‘me’ or ‘you'”, you add.
So on we go gathering, until there’s no space left.
We either learn to give them up
Or time wrecks them – until they are useless,
Or we lose them completely.
Sometimes we die leaving these ‘dead legacies’
Burdening other people with the stuff we’ve gathered.
That’s no way to be remembered.
That’s no testament of the value of your life.
What if, instead of gathering, we scatter
What if we did not hold on
But let go, allowing other people to enjoy
Allowing other people to borrow and even keep
Letting them in on our stories
Sharing our experiences
Giving away our smiles
Wouldn’t our lives be richer
More meaningful
Won’t we leave this world a better place
For our scattering?
So let’s scatter peace
In a world yearning for it
Let’s spread joy
Among those who need it
Let’s bring laughter
To those who could do with some
Scatter smiles
Make happy memories for others
Tell your stories to bring hope
Share your experiences to increase knowledge
Let’s leave a legacy of kindness.
It is not what you gather, but what you scatter, that tells what kind of life you have lived. – Anonymous
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What a wonderful quote Corinne. It stayed with me.
Scatter what you gather- Love, Smiles, Compassion, Joy…
upasna recently posted..I wish you become independent: Art of Cooking with Kids
If only we could all do this.. Maybe we can start one at a time, scatter happiness while we hoard on something materialistic. Maybe that way we can make it work..
Scattering hope, happiness, peace and laughter is a worthy message. The quote is going to stay with me, for sure.
Anamika Agnihotri recently posted..The case of black halwa #MondayMusings
What noble thought! A good way to spread cheers and happiness.
Words to live by Corinne and we so need to live by them now.
I wish I had your wisdom… I have hoarded a lot…selfies.. Photos… Books.. Cards..empty bottles art… N still continue… I need to learn to give away..
Excellent advice, Corrine! So insightful both figuratively and literally, especially during these horrendous happenings throughout the world. On the literal side, my husband and I are both packrats and hold on to so many things we could easily scatter. We should definitely know better, especially as I remember the nightmare of sorting through my parents’ possessions.
Beautiful thought! I am guilty of hoarding books and photos. But I do we feel the more we share, the more we spread happiness and kindness, the more of ‘us’ we will be leaving behind.
There is always such a great takeaway when I read your posts!
Indeed that would be so much more meaningful than hoarding stuffs. After all, people will remember our actions, our smiles, not a bunch of articles laden with dust. Such a meaningful poem!!