Catalogues: Assets

My Wedding Ring

Filed under: Essential/Lifegiving

Ms. H. put this ring on my finger May 1, 2004 while we sat in a canary yellow convertible mustang at the window of the drive-thru chapel in Las Vegas. It rarely leaves my finger.

Rating 10/5.

A color photo of Jay Sennett’s silver wedding ring

Since August 30, I have been working with Gwen Bell to realign this website.

I regularly read her site, both for inspiration and instruction. Her public heart is very open. I sense that the digital Gwen and real-time Gwen are quite similar. It is that closeness that inspires me to realign this site to become a digital manifestation of me.

One section of Gwen’s site documents all her belongings. She lists three reasons why she does this. It is her second reason that permeated my skin and trickled down to my ankles. I felt a profound epiphany when I read it. She writes, Share why it [a particular belonging] matters to me. Again, if it doesn’t matter, what’s it doing in my life?”

I’ve been on the simplicity/minimalism train for so long - the one where I read a lot about simplicity, then proceed to beat myself up as an orgiastic hoarder - that I had to reread these words. I have engaged in a cycle of buying and ridding or purging for so long that I am a somnambulist and numb to both the treasures and the liabilities.

I have a tremendous desire and urge to become more honest with myself and with others, especially about my stuff. Part of that honesty is to simply share why my assets are treasures.

So over the next several weeks and months I will begin to photograph and document my assets. None of these assets are money but they mean a grate deal to me. Each has a story (something the liabilities do not, for the most part) that I will share. I will also be photo documenting my liabilities. I intend to honor these objects and articles then release them, whether by selling them or giving them away. My intention is that as I document both the assets and the liabilities I will gain both greater mindfulness and greater understanding around my feelings and motivations. Why is this article an asset? Can I recall my mindset when I bought this liability? What do I hope to accomplish by retaining these liabilities? Does something become a liability? If so, why? Have any of my assets once been liabilities?

How do you know when an object in your possession is an asset?