The Invaluably Insignificant | CR

For in living without much you become free from the world's concept of fulfillment.

I stepped onto the sandy cement floor and walked over to my backpack to grab my phone and finally take a picture of our group from the weekend. The floor only showed me a bathing suit bottom and nothing more. Maybe someone had moved my backpack. I walked into the only other room in the apartment and that's when I heard someone say, "Guys, I think we were robbed!" I shook my head no...this was not what was suppose to happen tonight or ever.

A group of 10 students travelled to this small non-touristy beach town called Playa Negra. The beach was beautiful and wonderful for surfing. The main attraction was that we were going to have a relaxing weekend free from people constantly selling you things and others pointing at maps with very confused looks on their faces. It had all of the makings to be great. Then we went to the beach at night. And then we were robbed.

My first thought was that my phone was gone because that was the item I was heading to my backpack to go get. As the night went on I started to realize what was in my backpack. The things I wanted to cry about were not my phone or my expensive bag. The thing I wanted most of all were my glasses. If you don't know, I'm extremely incapable of seeing without contacts or glasses. Old people laugh at how thick mine are. It's that bad. They also took my daily contacts which sent me into another panic wondering how I would spend a night without a spare. Then I realized there was more stuff.

The list goes on and on of what was taken but there are four things which mean the most to me.

1. My journal that I had begun writing about my adventures in. Honestly, what are the robbers going to do with that? Nothing.
2. My glasses. Unless you are 75, blind, or like to get headaches I don't recommend wearing them. Plus, now every night I have to take out my contacts, stumble around, and then run into things in the morning to put my contacts back in. 
3. My book. I was reading that.
4. My 3Strands bracelets. I took off my bracelets because I was getting a heat rash so I put them safely in my backpack. I had been wearing that white bracelet for over 2 years because my dad gave it to me as a reminder to fight for human trafficking at all times. I loved those 5 bracelets and now they're gone.

The more I think about what I lost the more I realize what is important. It's not the phone. It's not the book bag. It's not the expensive shoes. The important things are those seemingly insignificant items. I had no idea how much importance I put into the unimportant. The robbers don't care about my book or my bracelets. They're going to throw those away. But those matter to me.

I've spent too much time imposing value on insignificant things. It doesn't matter the type of phone I have, the style of backpack, the brand of clothes, or the amount of money in my wallet. Now without all of those heavy possessions I'm able to live my life freer. I don't have to worry about where I put my stuff, because, what stuff. I definitely don't have to worry about being robbed...please take my princess backpack. 

I think of how silly it is to put such value on things only because the "market" tells us to and tells us this is where we find fulfillment. News Flash: it's not! My bracelets matter more to me than a $500 phone. My book and journal are more significant than a $400 camera. And my glasses, well those are priceless. I think I'm going to move forward placing significance in the seemingly insignificant. For those things hold more meaning than the expensive and "valuable" items ever can.