The Treasures We Take Home

Some days simply fill your bucket. A day spent shopping with my mom, my aunt and my sister-in-law is one of those days. The kind of day filled with conversation, wandering, unexpected finds and, most importantly, belly laughs.

Shopping has always been a bit of a love language for me. Some of my earliest memories are of taking my great-grandmother out every other week with my mom. Over the years, Mom and I have had countless adventures, wandering through local shops and exploring stores wherever our travels have taken us. Shopping with my aunt brings an instant smile to my face, and my sister-in-law and I have searched for that special something in boutiques and markets all over the world.

Notice that I keep saying shopping, not buying.

Sometimes we find the perfect treasure. Sometimes we walk out empty-handed. We might vintage shop one day and wander through a little boutique the next. It really doesn’t matter what we find or whether we find anything at all.

The best part isn’t what comes home in a shopping bag. It’s the stories, the laughter, the conversations in the car, the “look at this!” moments and the memories that somehow become more valuable with time.

These are the core memories we don’t always recognize we’re making while we’re making them. A simple day out with women I love becomes another chapter in a lifetime of shared adventures.

So yes, I love to shop. However, if I’m being mindful about it, I know the real treasures aren’t the things we bring home.

They’re the people we get to wander with, the laughter we share and the memories we carry with us long after the shopping bags are gone.

Those are the treasures I wouldn’t trade for anything.

Yours heartfelt, Ms. Mindful Traveller