I bought so little yet spent so much.

Every few years a new wave catches on and the world is enveloped in another trend. Each wave takes about three to five years to fade until it actually dies out. Then, waves become memories. Things become artifacts – or garbage incinerated, given no chance to leave a mark.

Gaining a quarter of this realization, I started to minimize my life. I began to consciously travel light. I began to choose what I bought, what I did and who I met and spoke with. It helped that, in my teens, many things became sparse in my life. But most of all, it helped that money was hard to come by.

I learned to value what I had. And more specially, I learned to spot the valuable.

These days, I live a more comfortable life of independence and sustainability. I could see myself staying while, at the same time, evolving where I have planted myself. And, with many things settled, my sense of security has strengthened. Putting all of it together, I have a stronger base and a stronger sense of self. And this has seeped into much of my every day life.

I choose what I shop for. And I will be honest to say that I have begun to shop for the expensive things. But how I see it is with the idea that quality comes at a price. I simply believe that if something wasn’t going to last, it wasn’t worth the price. It happens that craftsmanship warrants investment. Craftsmen put in their time, consumers put in their money. I don’t really mind.

If something was made to last, I really wouldn’t mind the cost.