Reaching Into the Universe Dedicated to creating an enlightened world: spiritually fulfilling, physically healthy, socially just, and environmentally sustainable.

Building inner wealth through amusement: 3 investments in one

In my home, the bag containing the gifts I gave my roommate Des travels fairly quickly from the gift bag stash to his desk and back to the gift bag stash. Des and I know that the important thing isn't having a new gift bag every year (you already have a stash of them by now, right? Who needs more??), the important thing is having a new glass dog ornament every year to add to your increasing glass dog stash.

Ok, yes, I give Des a glass dog ornament every year for the holidays. It's just my attempt to inject some amusement into Desmond's life.

Amusement's a great word... it doesn't really mean fun. It comes from French (a-) meaning an increase, an addition of and (muser) meditation or rumination... better if we think of a-muse being an addition of Muse energy. Then we can use any of the archetypical muses in classical mythology, of which meditation is simply one. From dictionary.com: "any of a number of sister goddesses, originally given as Aoede (song), Melete (meditation), and Mneme (memory)."

Song, meditation, and memory! What kind of person doesn't want more of those? Are your stashes already big enough? I bet they can get bigger... you'll just have to invest resources (attention, time, energy, maybe some money) into them.

To build up our abundance of these Muse-ical expressions is to build up our inner wealth with which to sustain both our personal, inner lives as well as our community connections and relationships. This synergizes with both personal and communal forms of outer wealth, from personal abundance to community prosperity.

Hence, a growing collection of glass dog ornaments, an amusing gift to build on itself each year rather than a series of unforgettable one-offs. As they are used each year, they not only provoke amusement in Des, but maintain and support the relational connection between us. And some day, the collection may prove meaningful to an heir or friend. As my uncle and I wrap up my late grandma's estate, the best items aren't the newest or most expensive, but those which remind me, and amuse me, the most of her and the days and years we lived together as I grew up. She doesn't have a glass dog collection, but it looks like that's Des' job.

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