I have been thinking about what is important in my life and what it takes to make me truly happy. It used to be new shoes, new car, new anything. When I went through a life changing ordeal several years ago, I had to make a change in my lifestyle. It was very difficult at first, not being able to go out and buy what I thought I needed. I purged and uncluttered, sold and gave away many things I thought I couldn’t live without. I found myself keeping only the things that I really loved, simple things like a tin full of pennies that my grandmother gave me when I was 16, my dad’s drafting kit he used while he was in college, a small gold heart necklace my aunt gave me when I was born, baskets that my mom weaved. Most everything that I now have has sentimental value. I still love to have new shoes and new clothes, but now when I go shopping, it is for something I really want to wear, not something that is trendy or will just hang in my closet.