Falling Stars: Not the Answer

Catch a Falling Star and put it in your pocket,
Never let it fade away!
Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket,
Save it for a rainy day!

The lyrics to this old song made famous by Perry Como go on to say that a pocketful of starlight will be helpful to forget your troubles when they start multiplying,

Tonight is a meteor shower, so it’d be a perfect time for you to try to catch that falling star. You will most likely need to stay up very late and be somewhere far away from the city lights to see the falling stars.  Be prepared with blankets, bug spray, and snacks—and don’t forget the patience.

But in lieu of trying to catch a pocketful of falling stars—you are hoping for an easy fix to get your troubles to go away—there might be easier ways. Our pockets are way too full already—there probably wouldn't be room for a falling star even if you could catch one.

In our fast-paced crazy-busy world, why not consider simplifying instead of looking for more and more to fulfill your life.  There are perhaps a few bits of wisdom I can share with you from experience.

1. Downsize! Stop collecting a lot of stuff! I used to collect McCoy pottery, but when I decided to move clear across the country to start over, I re-evaluated the need to pack it up and protect it from breakage versus just selling it. I sold it. I also sold my collection of Danielle Steele hardback books, my wheat-pattern China, and a collection of fancy margarita glasses. It was actually a relief to not have to pack those cumbersome items and then have to find a place for them in my new home. Collections in the end are only dust-collectors and eventually your children will have to either sell them or worse—take them to the dump!

2. Don’t get bitten by the shopping bug. If you feel the urge to go shopping for new clothes, first go through your closets and find something that you haven’t worn in a LONG TIME. You may either fall in love with it again and have that (nearly) same rush as buying something new, OR pack it and a few other rarely-worn articles of clothing up and donate them to a thrift store before you go shopping. You’ll have the satisfaction of downsizing, but also the urge to buy will be lessened if you've recently examined your closet.

3. Quit being controlled by your smart phone and other electronic devices. Think about what life used to be like before you had the world at your fingertips. You could relax without that uncontrollable urge to check your messages or your tweets. People used to enjoy conversation while at the dinner table. All of that texting and fidgeting with your device only leads to unease and over-complication. I’m not advocating giving up your cell phone, but if you can’t teach yourself to moderate, then consider going back to an old-fashioned flip phone. You still have the convenience of making phone calls at will, but texting is much more difficult and you will find that it’s just a ridiculous way to communicate. If there is something worthwhile saying, simply dial the number and talk to the person. Have a real conversation and not one that is filled with lol or omg.

4. One more tip—rearrange your schedule to include church. Worshiping God is what is really important anyway. Without God in your life, what is the purpose of it all anyway? Make time to give thanks for what you've been given by your Lord and Savior. I know that there are always those excuses that you want to sleep late on Sunday, but there are some churches that meet on Saturday nights—like the one I attend in Enumclaw WA: Calvary Presbyterian Church. Quit finding excuses! Our world needs to include a lot more of values based upon morals and mindfulness not megapixels and megabytes.

OK, that’s all I’m going to say on that topic for now. Do whatever it takes to simplify your life—don’t count on a pocketful of stardust to help you out. The love of God in your heart is much more valuable than countless falling stars.