Less is More

Mike liked good quality in small doses.  He would eat ridiculously small portions of expensive dark chocolate with his coffee at night.  When it was a special night out, he would order a glass of wine at a restaurant and only drink a few sips (he wasn’t supposed to drink alcohol with his medication).  Mike liked to imagine himself embracing the European way of life-- all things small and refined!  It's funny to remember when I first met Mike-- watching him, with shocked amusement, consume an entire bag of chips while watching endless hours of Sunday football.  Over the years,  our lives and priorities changed in so many ways.... 


With my influence, Mike sometimes bought things on sale.  He would proudly tell me about his ‘deal’. But getting a ‘deal’ wasn’t really in his nature.  He only wanted what he needed (or thought he needed-- don't get me wrong, he liked his 'stuff').  Buy a good one if you need it, despite the price.   Ideally, buy it as 'retail therapy' post-call to cheer up after a tough night in the hospital!   Mike wasn’t into accumulating a lot of stuff (except maybe clothes).  He was a master purger --sometimes a little too zealous.  And it kept his space so much neater that way too. 

We were a contrast that way- with my ‘piles’ that he found so endearing at first and then later, accepted them as a ‘piling’ system rather than his neat ‘filing’ system.  (I would like to embrace the term ‘cluttered casual’ recently used in House and Home!)

From Mike, I’ve learned to (sometimes) splurge on a few special items—they last longer in the end because of the craftsmanship and because you tend to take good care of them.   That might sound like a silly lesson but I think of how it extends well beyond material objects into the more important facets of our lives.   It extends to quality over quantity in all areas of life—most importantly in how we spend our time and how we nurture our relationships with family and friends.  Invest in quality and take good care.  Mike’s friends and family were a priority to him.  He was very torn by the demands of his profession and was sometimes distraught over the drain it took on home life.  Under Mike’s influence and his memory, we come together here in this place, we invest in each other and we take good care of each other.