With the downsized cable package I have, I am revisiting one of my old guilty pleasures thanks to my Amazon Prime subscription.  I am at the same time repulsed and fascinated by this show.

I can already hear the question in my head:  “What? What could you possibly learn from Hoarders?”

I think there is a lot to be learned from the people on this show.  Yes, most of the lessons learned are cautionary, warnings that too much of anything is NOT a good thing.  I think, though, that to an extent all of us are prone to be hoarders, though not always to the drastic extent demonstrated on this show.  The unfortunate individuals whose lives are portrayed on the show suffer from serious mental illness which they need medication, counseling or both to overcome.

Their stories can provide incentive for the rest of us, though, to simplify.

Our society is one of excess and it seems that sometimes worth is valued by the quality and quantity of possessions one can obtain.   We set aside happiness for someday.  Someday, after I get that new computer, I’ll be happy.  Someday when I have a better vehicle, I’ll be happy.  Someday when I can buy a bigger home, I’ll be happy.

Truly, the time to be happy is now.  The WAY to happiness is not in things, but in having our loved ones close to us, seeing the beauty in nature, learning to appreciate the “little things”.

Take time to enjoy the little things 🙂

All the money in the bank nor all the material possessions in the world can buy us one more moment with a friend or relative that is gone.  We can’t share a laugh, a hug or a tender moment with our homes, our cars or our computers.   Striving to have it all can essentially leave us with nothing.  My dad recently gave my whole family (and himself most definitely!) a big scare when he went into the hospital because he hadn’t slept well the night before and found out he was having a massive heart attack.  Thankfully he did go in before it was too late and all turned out well.   He has always been active and healthy, so it really shows that none of us is promised tomorrow.

Two very important people in my life, my Dad and Mom, pictured with me in December of 1969!

So, what I have learned from Hoarders is to hold more tightly to the important people in my life, to spend time with them and to appreciate and value every moment.    Putting off happiness for someday may put it off until there is no time left.   I’ve learned to really appreciate the things I have, humble though they may be and to treasure the people who I have here in my life.   Simple, yes, but sometimes the little things turn out to be the big things in life! 🙂

 The best things in life are not only free, but the line is shorter. ~Robert Brault

The sculptor produces the beautiful statue by chipping away such parts of the marble block as are not needed — it is a process of elimination. ~Elbert Hubbard 

If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting? ~Stephen Levine

When something is missing in your life, it usually turns out to be someone. ~Robert Brault