One of my favourite blogs – ZenHabits – posted a thought-provoking piece called ‘Love Life, Not Stuff’.  Here’s a small excerpt :

We’re in love with stuff — with shopping, with acquiring, with owning, with collecting.

Let’s lust after life instead.

Realize that life, not stuff, is what matters. Objects are just objects — if you lose them, if they get stolen or destroyed … it’s not a big deal. They’re just objects — not your life. Your life is the series of moments that is steaming through your consciousness right now, and how you use those moments and what you fill them with is what truly matters, not what you fill your home with. At the end of this short journey, you’ll look back and remember your experiences, the people you loved and who loved you back, the things you did and didn’t do. Not the stuff you had.

In another one of my favourite blogs, Seth Godin wrote about his views on how to celebrate a birthday :

On July 4, birthday of the USA, we’re supposed to blow off fireworks, eat hot dogs and buy a Chevrolet.

On Martin Luther King Jr. day, marvelously, we’re supposed to participate in a national day of service.

On my birthday, it would make me really happy if people started a project, launched an idea or engaged in a difficult interaction that made something good happen. Make a difference day.

Once again, I felt the Universe was conspiring to tell me something… Life is the thing we ought to really celebrate!