Today is May 13th, Mother’s Day. I want to do a special shout out to all the MOMS! YOU GUYS ROCK! It is also the last day of my second set of 40 Days and 40 Nights, a Lenten Season. Technically we are in the Easter Season. The Lenten Season ended officially on Easter Sunday. (For more information on this topic visit a previous writing piece titled The Lord Works in Mysterious Ways…) During Lent, I slipped and did the thing I gave up. Shopping. Had the event I attended occurred on a Sunday, then ALL would have been right with the world. I bought makup. In my mind it did not count as shopping, however, my friend reminded me that it did. To buy things that I did not NEED, was considered shopping. I agreed and made a mental note that if I were to choose shopping again next year, to give up for Lent, I would be specific as to what it included. I decided at that point to start the 40 days over, once the official 40 days were up. I did well. The 40 days were almost up, and then a little over a week ago, I attended yet another Makeup event and I slipped. Again.
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| From: Chanel.com |
Instead of beating myself about it, I’ve decided to make it a learning experience. Isn’t everything after all, a learning experience? I did learn a lot about the upcoming trends in makeup for the Spring and Summer seasons. I also got to highlight in my NEW Makeup Journal a quote that Chanel Makeup Artist Mario Penailillo stated, “Once you take care of your skin, makeup is easy.” I nodded my head in agreement. I’ve always liked the idea of makeup. I just never understood it. I would put colors on my face, but I never understood how to make it look like it was supposed to be makeup, AND NOT random colors on my face. In my twenties, I only experimented with lipsticks and mascara. It wasn’t until I sat down at a FNO event at a Banana Republic at the Trumbull Mall, with Chanel Makeup Artist Maria Moutinho at Lord & Taylor, that I realized just how important taking care of your skin really is. I was introduced to the Chanel Hydramax Line and fell in love with my skin. Prior to this I had been using over the counter, drugstore facial moisturizers. While they initially left my skin feeling hydrated and protected, it didn’t last long. I found myself wanting to put the moisturizer on several times a day. Over time I began to learn about the different pieces that fit the makeup puzzle and I can now transform my face into something artistic.
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| @Cpigrun |
The events I’ve attended, have taught me tricks, and exposed me to new colors and techniques. As Jackie said in a previous post, “You can Lift Your Spirits with Fashion“. It is also a fun thing to do with a friend. Cristina’s eyes really sparkled that day. If you’re not comfortable with makeup, its good to learn one product at a time. Buying everything at once is overwhelming and its difficult to remember all the information about each one. I will go over what I learned in an upcoming series.
For now, I want to say that while makeup makes me feel good, like shopping for clothes does, it is also my weakness. I lecture my niece about not being so attached to material things, as we cannot take them when we’re gone from this earth. However, I have not been taking my own advice. I cannot lecture her on her wants of expensive sneakers, if I can spend 26.50 on a bottle of nail polish. She pointed this out to me on Friday night. At first I was a little angry, who is she to tell me this. On thinking on it further, who am I to hide from a truth. I must practice what I preach.
Today, the 80 days are done. I can go on a shopping spree if I want to. I find that I don’t. I have a ton of clothes, shoes, makeup, accessories, books and I can go on forever here. I cannot take any of these things with me when I go. At the end of the day they are not important. We fall in life, to get back up, dust ourselves off and figure out how to not fall again. These last 80 days have strengthened my soul. My falls have highlighted the things that are important. We do not take our material possessions with us when we die and I ask God for strength to remind me of this in my weak moments!
Have any advice, tricks or stories to help me out on my journey to not be attached to material things? Share them in the comments below or on the My Pocketful of Thoughts Facebook Page.
8 replies on “What Do We Take with Us When We DIE?”
Beautifully written of your two lenten experiences. Of how we can not take things with us. Yet how things like makeup can make and enhance one’s appearance and how they feel inside as a person.
May you truly be blessed as you walk the life of the Cross.
Thanks Scott! I feel blessed to have an outlet to share my experience and Journey with God. Thank you for joining in on the conversation!
Very well said!..I totally agree with you on everything. your so right
we can not take things with us. But, if something makes us
feel good while we are here whether it be shopping, exercising, etc. Anything that makes you feel good there’s nothing wrong with that of course I believe everything in moderation we shouldn’t get to crazed about it either!.
Thanks so much for mentioning me and the Team @ Chanel. We always like to see your shining face! Your truly a beautiful person inside & out!!
Yes, Maria you are so right! Moderation in everything! LOL I’m still working on moderation. And thank you for the compliment! I have been getting comments on my makeup as of late and I realize I have awesome teachers, can’t keep you guys to myself 🙂
Hey chica! Yes, we can’t take anything with us when we leave this rock but you know what, I say live it up and enjoy everything we can while we’re here!
However, the idea of being detached from possessions is something we all deal with. Here are a couple of ways I deal with it:
1) Understand that it is what it is – an object – and although it may make me feel better for whatever reason, it won’t make or break my life if I didn’t have it (I often picture myself without it to see how I feel and deal with those feelings separately)…
2) I give away things often to help me with sharing and knowing that I can always get more of [fill in the blank] regardless of how much it cost or what it meant to me while I had it (this goes for items we cherish as well and that which we think are priceless)…
In addition, I sometimes think that when we think we can’t let go of something, we stop the flow of new things coming into our lives. So I try to be as open and receptive as possible. I like to think that the following quote I use all the time can be used for material things as well:
“People (now things) come into your life for a reason, season, or lifetime…”
I think these 2 steps have helped me become less attached to things. 🙂
~Kesha
@uncommonchick
Hey Kesha! Yes I totally agree with you on the live it up, but I think I was becoming addicted to the living it up feeling I was having when I was buying random things. It was a temporary high that required buying more and more stuff. I have gotten loads better over the last couple of months. I have tried to put a stop to my compulsive shopping, most of the items I was buying were things that were not essential. I have also amped up on the, give away things. I started a few years ago with my seasonal donations to good will. Now I try and give away as much as I do not need. It feels good knowing that someone else could benefit from the things that I am not using currently. I definitely agree with you on the “when we can’t let go of something, we stop the flow of new things coming into our lives.” I’ve replaced the need for buying things, with the high of doing for others. I must say that it is much more rewarding and definitely less expensive 🙂 Its always good to hear that what I’m doing also works for others, thanks so much for sharing <3!
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