Lately, I’ve been thinking about the value we place on certain things. I don’t think of my time in terms of money. I don’t have a paycheck, so it seems silly to do it. However, if someone talks loudly during one of my violin performances, the time I took to practice and prepare seems wasted and I feel undervalued. I’ve been thinking about value in terms of time management. How should I best spend this next half hour? Should I attend to my writing or should I do the dishes and prepare for company tomorrow? Tonight the sorting and ordering of my thoughts is more valuable.
Time is the currency we use to show what we most value. Some people receive a paycheck for their time; others find other means of assigning value. I like tangible proof that I existed. I don’t have pay stubs, but I keep charts and journals and blogs and I publish my children’s work in a local newsletter every month.
Since writing the title of this post, I’ve veered from course a little. But I want to share my funny story to introduce my final point.
There was a Louis Vuitton purse in my mom’s closet in the 90’s. I think it was a hand-me-down from Aunt Susan. Mom didn’t like the purse, and let me have it. I was looking for a bag that could carry diapers without looking like a diaper bag. I had seen the logo before and figured it must be popular. After carrying it around town for a while, this cavernous purse with no lining or pockets didn’t suit my needs. And it really wasn’t very attractive.
So I donated it to charity along with some worn out clothes.
Later, I learned the “value” of the bag I had thrown away. I felt sorry that I hadn’t realized what the bag had cost; but then I felt silly for worrying about what value the world has placed on an ugly purse with some initials on it.
On a personal level, I’ve learned that feeling valuable is something that shouldn’t be measured by what others think. Being valuable and feeling valued by others are not always going to coincide…Just something to think about as you google the price of a Louis Vuitton bag…