to hoard or not to hoard

once upon a time (or few), i visited Tokyo, Japan.  two of those times i had the pleasure of staying at the famed Park Hyatt.  fantastic.

everything about the park hyatt seemed perfect.  the rooms were understated but luxurious and attractive.  from the moment you step in you feel like royalty.  when you dial the front desk they answer, “hello miss yu.”  i felt special staying there.  it was an ideal vacation in a world far away from this place.  even the skin and hair products they offered in the rooms were awesome.  so of course, i tucked a few away to bring back home.  to use and pretend like i’m somewhere else.  pretend i’m far away again in a foreign land and that i could just step outside and quickly lose myself in the most wonderful way.

the last time i was there was over two years ago.  two days ago, i brought the shampoo and conditioner to the the ymca.  to my chagrin, the conditioner had turned.  i mean…how could i have been surprised???  two years later i use those tiny little cute bottles and expect them to miraculously stay fresh for me?  how could i be so foolish?  why didn’t i just use them sooner?  they smelled so good, i loved them so much, and so i waited and waited and waited in an attempt to savor the moment.

it was surely a lesson to be learned.  i’ve always had the tendency to save things.  ever since i was young.  i mean, i wasn’t some super privileged kid.  we didn’t own expensive things.  i wore generic keds and converse wannabes.  we wore taiwanese night market hand-me-downs my mother collected from older cousins when we went to visit.  so when i would get something nice in my hands, i couldn’t bear to use it.

i remember during my elementary school years, having this amazing set of crayola crayons with its own plastic carrying case, displaying a spectrum of waxy goodness in all it’s glory.  i remember carrying that thing around the house.  arranging, and rearranging.  making sure i most accurately aligned them to honor Roy G Biv.  i used them so sparingly — god forbid i had to sharpen one and fuck up the original shape.  and why?  so that i could be a kid who loved to color, but restrained myself so that i could tote this plastic case of crayolas around forever???  that is the saddest thing ever.

in recent years i’ve begun to simplify my life.  throw things away, or even better, donate them when i don’t use it.  hell, i’m bringing those little shampoo bottles i’ve collected from fancy hotels and using them at the gym.  ALL of them.  i didn’t listen to all those chinese fables teaching me philosophies of waste not want not and living in the moment, just to become an amateur hoarder.  seriously.

let go.  live.  stop holding on to meaningless objects.  these aren’t the most important things in life.  i know this.  i’m living this.  i have so much that doesn’t come in a tiny little bottle.  i’m filled with so much love every day for the people and experiences around me.  you can’t bottle that shit and you sure as hell can’t save it for later.  every single moment is a new reality to be relished.

enjoy things now, people.

enjoy the hell out of it.  slurp it up.  use stuff that is meant to used.

live.

parku hyatto